Desecration
by Eerie
Summary: P4 AU. Dojima becomes the killer's next target and it's up to Souji and Yosuke alone to rescue him. Things turn out far worse than they expected that night in the TV world. Despite the horrors they must endure, the two boys attempt to grow closer. Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Desecration**

**!Advisory:** This story will contain game spoilers, graphic noncon and torture, as well as a few other generally awful and taboo things. Definitely **not** for the kiddies or vanilla-lovers.

* * *

Sitting at his desk with his English homework spread out before him, Souji almost enjoyed the tranquil calm, immersed in his repetitive task. So when the sound of rain suddenly blasted against the windows like the hammer of a thousand tiny pebbles, he flinched and turned his head to stare wide-eyed at the drawn curtains. It took a moment for him to register what the sound really was. Low thunder groaned in the distance. What time was it, anyway? Even before glancing at the clock worry slowly crept through him, licking at the edges of his previous lull. Six minutes until midnight. There was no way there could be…

Souji glared at the blank TV screen as if it had been the cause of all his disorientation. It had been sunny and warm for the past three days; the weather report only mentioned cloudiness with a slim chance of overnight showers. Tomorrow was supposed to be another gorgeous day as well. Things like this were a freak occurrence, a testament to nature's occasional unpredictability. Though they happened sometimes, they never did so like this. Four more minutes and the clock would strike twelve.

Souji's hands began to sweat and he dropped his pencil unheeded to the desk as he stood to look outside. It was absolutely pouring. The slightly inclined street in front of the house already bore little streams of rushing water. Thin strips of orange-tinted lightening tore two neat paths through the black night sky over Inaba. The storm was overhead. He watched the sky through the violent sheet of rain before closing the curtains and turning his attention back to the TV set. One more minute. He was certain he would see nothing tonight, or at least, he had to convince himself of that. But as the seconds ticked away, that surety gave way to doubt. Finally, the clock struck midnight with a hollow clack.

The lights in his room dipped low, threatening to die out altogether when another peal of thunder erupted, closer this time. But that didn't stop the TV screen from flickering. A blurry image appeared, and Souji's attention was rapt upon it. Someone's image materialized before him, and though it was impossible to make out the details, he could tell from the form's general aspects that it was a man. The figure seemed to be in a scarcely furnished room, and oddly enough, it was that room's features that appeared more clearly than the person within it. Little else but a dresser and bed adorned the strange place. But as Souji peered more closely, he could see that the man onscreen was not alone. It seemed there was a woman sitting in one corner, partially facing away. Her light hair was cut short, but her form and style indicated her gender right away. Something was off, however. Thin ropes connected her arms behind her back. Across her eyes and mouth were two white strips of material bound tight. A matching set of earmuffs or something of the like rested against either side of her head. She appeared uncomfortable in that position, but otherwise didn't struggle against her bindings. Souji had little time to pay her much attention before the man's figure onscreen came so close to the 'camera' that the image was totally blocked out. Then, the screen went black.

With a certain attentive panache common to madmen, Souji had his phone whipped open and ringing Yosuke's cell within seconds. It rang several times before a pause, only to be picked up by Yosuke's voicemail. Damn it. Yosuke was probably asleep, or had his headphones on, or was doing anything but being there when Souji needed him. Not bothering to leave a message, Souji hung up and chucked his cell onto his desk. The storm outside was already letting up; the rain became only a soft murmur against the glass. Souji's throat suddenly felt parched.

Making his way quietly down the stairs, he discovered the kitchen light below still illuminated. Dojima still sat at the table, busy working on the same project Souji had seen him with once Souji had excused himself to his room earlier that night. Papers lay scattered about. Dojima seemed to be deeply involved with whatever it was, but once Souji appeared in the soft glow of the light over the sink his eyes lifted.

"Did the storm wake you?" He regarded his nephew with weariness.

Souji shook his head and retrieved a glass from the cupboard. "No. I was just finishing my assignments."

Dojima grunted in response and then changed his mind. He looked closely at Souji, the way he often did when he suspected something amiss. "It's great that you're doing so well in school, but you shouldn't be up this late too often."

With a full glass of cold water now in hand, Souji turned to retreat back upstairs. "I know. I won't. Goodnight." He had almost made it back to the foot of the stairs when Dojima's voice stopped him.

"Nanako tells me you don't even get in until late sometimes. What have you been doing for so long after school?"

Great, Souji thought, another session of drilling awaited him. It was true that there were times when he and his friends spent longer in the TV world than they had intended, but he tried to keep that from happening to the best of his ability and usually succeeded.

He turned again and saw that Dojima hadn't bothered to face him. "Just, hanging out with Yosuke. We lose track of time sometimes."

Dojima set the paper in his hands down and straightened. "At Junes, right?"

"What? Uh, no. Not always."

"One of my guys tells me he's seen you and your friends come and go from that store pretty often. Thing is, you never seem to leave with anything."

Souji quickly sifted through viable excuses, a skill that became sharper the longer he resided with his uncle. "Well there's not much else to do around here, and Yosuke works there. We like to hang out with him on his breaks."

"Yosuke…Hanamura, right? You sure seem to spend a lot of time with that kid."

Now Souji was at a loss for what to say, so he opted for silence at this point. He knew he would be reprimanded, but he didn't care.

"Well, you've got school tomorrow so go get some sleep."

That was not what he expected. Though a bit confused, Souji was not about to protest. He ran up the stairs without another word and shut himself up in his room. By this time the rain had already nearly stopped, but he did not feel any easier.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning was just as the weather forecast had predicted. Little evidence of the night's flash rain remained but for the slight ghost of dampness hanging in the air. Everything felt clean and renewed on a day like this, and Souji breathed the air in deep as he walked to school along the Samegawa Flood Plain.

Yosuke's voice called out to him from behind: "Hey, buddy, hold up!"

Souji turned and saw that Yosuke had given up trying to tame his bike today. Those ever-present orange and red headphones dangled around his neck as he jogged toward Souji, a loopy grin on his face. Souji smiled and bit back a laugh; clearly Yosuke didn't have time to fix his hair again. The mass of auburn lay matted flat against the left side of Yosuke's head.

"You look like you slept well last night," Souji gibed.

Yosuke slowed to a steady pace beside his friend. "Oh, so in other words you've noticed my youthful glow?"

"Not quite." Souji reached out and teased a hand through the train wreck on his friend's head.

"Damn, harsh." Yosuke faked a pout.

As Souji worked on Yosuke's hair, he grew serious. "Hey, did you watch the Midnight Channel last night?"

"Huh? Nope, I conked out early. It hasn't rained in days anyway so why do you ask?"

"You didn't hear the storm last night?"

"It stormed? No, I had no idea. I thought the air smelled different this morning though."

"Hmm." Souji gave up on his task and dropped his arm.

Yosuke furrowed his brow. "Why, did you see something last night?"

"I think so. It's weird, but at the same time it feels like I might've dreamed the whole thing. I don't get it."

"What happened?"

Souji shook his head and related what he saw to Yosuke.

"So there were two people this time?" Yosuke asked. "Yeah, that does sound kinda weird."

Souji shrugged. "The more I think about it, the more it doesn't seem real." He looked over at his companion. "Just don't tell the others about this. Not just yet. We need to be sure, and if I just imagined it then the last thing we need is everyone freaking out over nothing."

"Got it. But hey, maybe we should ask the girls if they saw anything."

"No. If they did, they'll say something about it."

Just as Souji had suspected, no one else had seen anything on the Midnight Channel the night before. Chie said the thunder woke her up, but by that time it was already past midnight so she didn't bother to check the TV. Yukiko had slept through the storm. Feeling the odd man out, Souji doubted what he had seen even further. There was no denying the unusual circumstances through which the night's events had played anyway. All the same, he would have to be cautious in the next few nights.

After school he and Yosuke wandered to Souzai Daigaku to buy some steak croquettes and milled about the shopping district to pass the time before Yosuke's shift at the grocery department began. As the time neared five o'clock, Yosuke thumped his friend on the shoulder. "Well, the night shift is about to begin. See ya tomorrow. Oh, and I'll be sure to stay up late tonight just to be safe."

They said their goodbyes and Souji went home to find Nanako seated in her usual position in front of the television.

"Welcome home," she chimed. "Um, sorry I don't have dinner started."

Souji caught the depressed note in her apology as he kicked off his shoes and tossed his bag to the floor. "Let's order pizza tonight instead." He couldn't help smiling at the reaction that brought from Nanako.

"Yay! Oh, but I wonder if we should get enough for Dad, too."

"He didn't call yet?"

Nanako shook her head.

"Well, I guess we should just assume he'll be here soon, right?"

The two spent the evening together eating pizza and watching cartoons, but Dojima still hadn't shown up by the time nine rolled around. He pulled all-nighters often, but almost never forgot to call to let them know when that was going to happen. Nanako worried, but Souji tried to distract her for the night. He hated to see her distraught, especially when it came to the rift between her and her father.

An hour later, he agreed to read her a bedtime story and watched, satisfied, as she shut her eyes for the night. Having eaten too much pizza, he felt drowsy and decided go and rest in his room. He would just lie on his futon and shut his eyes for a bit. What he hadn't planned on doing was falling asleep outright.

Souji hadn't even realized that he'd fallen under so deeply until something woke him. It wasn't a noise or a physical sensation, just an apprehension stemming deep from his marrow. His eyes snapped open and immediately sought out the wall clock. Almost midnight. Rubbing his eyes, he caught a steady sound coming from outside.

He got up and looked out the window to find a light drizzle falling upon the town. How long had it been raining?

Once the clock struck midnight, the television screen flickered and the same image of the undecorated room appeared again. This time everything was clearer, though shadows hugged the edges of the screen. The same woman in white sat doll-like in her bindings in the far corner, oblivious to her surroundings. Something seemed more familiar about her this time. Souji didn't have to stare at her too long to realize that she actually looked _a lot _like his mother. But…that couldn't be right.

The scene panned out to display more of the room and Souji spied another woman in the room, bound in a manner very similar to that of her companion, but this woman's bindings were black. That and she hung suspended by her legs from the ceiling in the opposite corner, her dark brown hanging messily about her face. Souji couldn't tell if she was alive or not as she slowly rotated in lazy quarter circles from the taut rope. There was something vaguely familiar about her as well, but he couldn't quite place it. A chill ran unbidden up his spine.

Then, from the darkness, the same man from the night before emerged. His back was smooth and bare, and it seemed he wore only pants. When the man turned to sit upon the bed's edge, paying no heed to either woman, the shadows still managed to obscure his facial features. Souji's eyes followed the dark trail of hair extending from the figure's broad chest to his pants' waistband. The same hair, though sparse, covered his forearms as well.

"It's not right…I…can't…"

Souji strained to hear the voice coming from the TV set. The man raised his arms to his head and a choked sound escaped the scene. Just as Souji felt the man was on the verge of sobbing, a low chuckle caught him off guard. The sound elevated into something far more disarming for the level of its amusement than for its juxtaposition within this dark scene, though it tapered off quickly.

"Not right! It's not right! Same old broken record, bullshit excuse. Ha. What a joke."

Souji's eyes went wide when he heard the deep voice. No, he wouldn't believe it.

"It's time to give up that tired façade. Starting now." The figure stood and walked toward the 'camera,' pulling his belt loose at the same time.

Though the shadows had not lifted entirely, Souji recognized the sharp stubble along the man's chin. Then the screen blacked out.

A sour sensation rolled through his stomach, threatening to expel his dinner. Souji closed his eyes and clapped a hand to his mouth to calm himself, but it hardly helped. The floor seemed to turn beneath his feet. He never thought it would be someone close to him.

There was no doubt left in his mind now that Dojima was the next victim.


	3. Chapter 3

Souji's cell rang insistently in his back pocket, but it sounded like it came from much further away. He blinked several times and finally reeled back into reality. Yanking his phone free, he saw without much surprise that Yosuke waited on the other end. He must have seen the images on TV as well. Souji snapped the phone open.

"Dude, you were right! I saw it. And, didn't that person look familiar?"

"Y-yeah. I think I know who it is." Souji paused.

"So? Spill it already!"

"Look, tomorrow's Sunday. Do you think you can come over?"

"Hey, what's wrong? Why won't you tell me?"

"Yosuke," Souji began, wondering how he should even articulate the line of thought that just occurred to him. "I have a really weird feeling about this. I think…I think we can't tell the others if no one else saw it."

Yosuke didn't say anything for a moment. "Why?"

"I don't know! Just promise me you'll be here tomorrow morning. We'll figure it out then."

"And what if they did? I mean, it didn't even start raining until around midnight, but someone else might've been up."

"I know. I'll think of something."

"Tch. This isn't like you at all, Souji. But fine. I'll see you in the morning."

Yosuke hung up without a farewell and Souji followed suit. There was no way he would be able to sleep tonight. He wondered if he should call the police station. Just to be sure.

Making his way downstairs, the house seemed unnaturally still. The rain outside had become more mist-like now, and he couldn't even hear it against the house. Pushing Nanako's door open slightly, he peeked inside to see her sleeping peacefully in the glow of her _Iwatodai_ lamp. He sighed; his stomach hurt all over again just thinking about how she would take the news that her father was missing. But maybe she wouldn't have to know.

Moving toward the kitchen, he spied Dojima's work number scrawled across a yellow Post-it stuck crookedly to the refrigerator. Punching the numbers hard into his cell, he allowed himself no time to hesitate. Someone answered the line almost immediately.

"Inaba police department." The voice was gruff, obviously tired and ready to leave work.

"Is Detective Dojima available?" Souji disguised his unease with bland politeness.

"Dojima-san left hours ago, son. What's this in regards to?"

Souji ignored the question. "Did he get off early today or something?"

"Is this his nephew?"

"Yeah. I'm…just staying over at a friend's tonight and I could've sworn he said he'd be working late. But if he's already gone I'll just try the house."

"I see. Nope, far as I know he was gone by eight or so. Said he wasn't feeling well."

"Oh, okay, thanks. Sorry to've bothered you."

Souji clapped his phone shut before the officer on the other end could get another word in. There was always the possibility that Dojima had hit the bar with that lanky partner of his. But that didn't seem likely. Souji would just have to wait until the morning came until this could be resolved.

The medicine cabinet in the bathroom became his next priority. With any luck there would be some strong nighttime cold medicine he could take to knock him out for the rest of the night. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, Souji scowled. He really did look like he could use some rest—faint bluish crescents hugged the undersides of his eyes. As he pried the mirror open, he was relieved to find that _something_ out there might be watching over him after all. After a few quick jerks to the cap, he downed a gulp of the bitter black licorice-flavored syrup without bothering to measure it first.

Trudging back to his room, he mused over what he had seen. There had never been more than one person at any given time on the Midnight Channel before. But then again, the two women were so motionless the entire time that they didn't seem alive in the first place. What did it all mean?

As Souji lay out upon his bed, he wondered just what it was that compelled him to keep all of this a secret from his friends. There was simply something about it—something stemming from what he knew about his uncle's past—that made him reconsider whether a group effort would be a good idea after all. Dojima was a very private person by nature, and he shouldered a larger share of pain than most people had to endure. He was not the type of man to let others in, even those closest to him. No, Dojima was the type of man that bore his own burdens and suffered alone.

Taking these factors into consideration, it seemed Souji had subconsciously decided that any rescue party had to be small. Now he was positive of it. Whatever Dojima's shadow would be like, no matter how the situation would play out, there was little doubt in Souji's mind that Dojima would definitely not cope well with the knowledge that so many eyes had seen his inner turmoil once his shadow had been defeated. No, it was better if he kept his friends in the dark about this one. Yosuke would be enough. They'd been through so much already, right from the very beginning. Together, they could do it.

It wasn't long before the sedative began to take control of his body and Souji's thoughts trailed off. With heavy eyes, he submitted to the first wave of drowsiness without protest and fell under soon after.

* * *

When he awoke, it was to the rude alternation between a determined knocking and the doorbell's shrill chime. Blinking groggily, he hauled his body out of bed and lumbered down the stairs to the source of the din. When he opened the door, the brightness of the morning sun assaulted his unprepared eyes and they watered immediately. Squinting in pain, he managed to make out Yosuke's irritated face staring back at him.

"The hell, man? I've been knocking for like ten minutes!"

"Wh-what? Where's Nanako?" Panic skirted his disorientation and he whipped back around to scour the house. All remained still, but it didn't take him long to spot the note written in Nanako's rounded hand resting on the table. He grabbed it up and read its contents, breathing a sigh of relief as he did so.

"Thank god," Souji mumbled to himself. "She's only gone to Mai's house for the day..."

As he set the note back down, his relief crumbled anew as the previous night's memories flooded back. When Yosuke touched his arm he jumped and wheeled around, having forgotten his friend was there at all.

"Damn, dude, you're really wound up today. What the hell is going on already?" Everything about Yosuke's presence radiated pure concern.

Souji looked at him sadly for a moment. "It was Dojima. He's in there, Yosuke."

Yosuke's bottom lip fell open and his eyes widened as he processed what his friend had just relayed. "Dojima-san? Are you sure? But how?"

Souji shook his head. "I don't know, but he never came home last night. I called the station, but they said he left early."

"Shit." Yosuke pulled his cell from the back pocket of his red jeans. "We have to get everyone over to Headquarters right away."

As soon as Yosuke's phone was open, Souji instinctively slapped it out of his hand and knocked it clattering to the floor. Yosuke looked angry as he bent to retrieve it. "What the fuck, Souji?"

Once his line of thought from last night had returned, Souji's determined mind began to operate seamlessly. It must have showed, because Yosuke's irritation quickly dissolved. "Come sit down."

Once seated on the living room sofa, Souji told Yosuke everything he knew about his uncle's troubled past and his reasoning for not wanting to tell the others. Yosuke's face betrayed his dubious feelings as he listened, but he nodded in affirmation every so often.

"I see," Yosuke said once Souji had finished. "I guess I get it, but, isn't it kinda dangerous for just the two of us to go in after him? I mean, how are we gonna find him in the first place?"

Souji sighed and looked at the floor. He had forgotten all about that part. "We don't have a choice. We'll have to get Teddie to help out."

"Teddie? But why? Rise's the scouting pro now."

"Look, I just don't think it would be a good idea any other way. We can trust Teddie, too. It's not like he's completely lost his nose." Though he wouldn't tell Yosuke, something inside went off like an alarm bell at the sound of Rise's name. He wanted to keep the girls away from this one at all costs, though he wasn't sure exactly why. Whatever it was, he refused to question it. He'd learned long ago to implicitly trust his instincts when it came to his Persona and the other world.

Yosuke looked at him earnestly for a long moment, searching for something in Souji's eyes until the latter finally looked away out of discomfort. Sighing, Yosuke wordlessly speed-dialed Teddie's number.

"Hey, Teddie, you up yet? Oh…yeah…okay. Hey, listen, I need you to meet me and Souji over at Junes ASAP. It's a secret…ugh, I don't care, Ted! Just be there in fifteen, got it?" Yosuke clacked his cell shut and stood, facing away.

"You've been our leader all this time, so whatever's telling you to do this, I know I've got to believe in, too." Yosuke turned to his friend. "I can't say I agree with it, but I trust you, man."

Souji stood and touched Yosuke's shoulder. "Thanks. I can't do this without you."

Yosuke's face blossomed into a fierce blush. Turning away, he scratched at the back of his head and made a quick beeline for the front door. "L-let's just get going. Nanako-chan will worry when she comes back."

In no time the two were headed for Junes, neither talking, but each lost in his own uneasy thoughts about what they would find that day.


	4. Chapter 4

With a mechanical groan, the power doors leading into Junes slid open once the two approached and Souji bumped headlong into a suited man leaving the department store. Surprised, Souji's mind instantaneously processed the familiar red tie practically smashed against his face and his heart skipped a painful beat. A hand clapped around his shoulder to keep him steady.

"Whoa there. Sorry 'bout that."

The voice was definitely not Dojima's. Naturally, it wouldn't have been. Souji looked up to see Adachi wearing his usual sheepish smile, a plastic Junes bag hanging from the man's arm.

"What are you two up to?" Adachi asked. "Wasting a gorgeous day like this going shopping?" He glanced at Yosuke.

"We could ask you the same thing," Yosuke casually pointed out.

"Oh, this?" Adachi lifted the bag on his arm a little. "Yeah, well, a man's gotta eat! Too bad I'm such a lousy cook, though." He smiled at Souji. "Dojima-san tells me you've got some culinary prowess yourself."

Souji shrugged, agitated at this roadblock. "I manage."

"Yep. Dojima-san's sure lucky to have you around." Adachi's gaze practically glimmered as he eyed his partner's nephew. "Well, I'd better get going. You kids be careful now." He began to depart but suddenly paused and turned back to them. "Oh yeah, speaking of which. Tell Dojima-san to hurry and get better soon." With that, he strode off.

The two boys watched him walk away for a moment before Souji looked to his friend. "Come on, we've wasted enough time already."

"Hey, you don't think we should've mentioned something about this to Adachi-san do you? I mean, they are partners after all," Yosuke suggested.

"Are you nuts?" Souji scowled. "He still works for the _police_, remember?"

"Yeah, but… I mean, he's helped us out on the sly before."

"Forget it, Yosuke, we're not taking that risk. Now let's go."

Before long the two were seated at their usual table in the food court; Teddie was already there, waiting for them in his bear suit.

"Wow, I'm impressed, Ted," Yosuke declared. "You got here pretty quick."

Teddie, however, did not appear flattered. "Wh-what's going on? Are we going into the TV world today or something?"

With a meaningful glance from Yosuke, Souji nodded. "We need your help."

"But, where are the others?" the bear all but whined.

Souji gestured with his hand. "This is a special mission, Teddie. Now listen. You have to _promise_ to keep this a secret among the three of us. No matter what, okay?"

Teddie looked skeptical. "But why?"

"We made a promise to help figure out what you are, remember?" Yosuke chimed in. "Don't you trust us?"

"Huh? Of course I do!"

"Then promise."

Teddie looked down at his feet, his expression sullen. "Okaaay. I promise."

Souji breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. Let's get going. I'll explain the situation once we're inside."

* * *

Standing quietly near the stack of TVs, Souji and Yosuke watched Teddie keenly. Souji had left out a few details in his reiteration of what he had previously told Yosuke, but it was enough. Teddie didn't need to know everything, after all.

"Someone's been thrown in all right. I…definitely smell something different." Teddie tilted his head this way and that, nosing the murky air. Suddenly he stopped and pointed excitedly into the distance. "Oh! I think he's this way!"

"You found him?" Souji asked and approached the bear. "Quick, take us there!"

Souji's wild determination momentarily took Teddie aback. "P-please, be careful, Sensei. I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt…"

Smiling, Souji tried to put Teddie at ease. "Hey, don't worry. I will. We both will."

Nodding firmly, Teddie turned toward the source of the interference. He led the pair through the dense fog before two hazy red blots of light winked on in the distance.

As they neared, Souji realized that their destination appeared to be a traditional Japanese house. It wasn't quite a manor, yet it was large and looked fairly well kept. The red lights turned out to be paper lanterns hung on either side of the narrow, door-shaped portal that would lead inside the house. A different set of characters marked each of the lanterns in white paint.

"Principle and…desire?" Yosuke read aloud. "What does that mean?"

"I still have a bad feeling about this," Teddie complained.

Souji turned to the bear. "Thanks, Teddie, Yosuke and I can take it from here. Wait for us."

"Um, sure thing. Good luck, guys." Teddie frowned as he watched the boys disappear into the ominous gateway, but resolved to uphold Souji's wishes by repressing the urge to follow.

* * *

Inside the house a long, cold hallway immediately greeted them. Everything from the walls to the flooring appeared to be made of some sort of drab, gray stone.

"Geez, it's frickin' cold in here!" Yosuke wrapped his arms around his chest to suppress his shivers. "What do you think this place is, anyways?"

Souji shook his head. Something was definitely familiar about the entryway itself, though. It wasn't like the rest of the hallway, but was instead floored with wood. Even a well-used mat lay underfoot. It was almost as if…

"It looks like the house," Souji realized as he scouted his immediate surroundings. "I mean, it looks just like the doorway to my uncle's house."

It was true. Everything there was the same, but something remained missing as well. No shoes rested anywhere in sight. Souji hadn't realized it until now, but the sight of Nanako's shoes at the door always made the Dojima house feel, well, contented. Like there was someone there that would always welcome you home. But this house was empty and devoid of warmth.

When he came back to the present, Souji saw that Yosuke had already begun trekking up the hallway. He jogged to catch up.

As the two walked, the hard stone hallway yielded several closed doors on either side. Though he tried to push them open, and though the freezing knobs were clearly unlocked, Souji could not get any of them to budge. It was as if something, or someone, behind those doors held them shut with determined force. The further he and Yosuke walked, the more dispersed the doors became. Even the doorframes began to look different; hard, jutting edges replaced the smooth sterile order forming the previous structures. Here, everything seemed more hastily and unstably thrown together. Even the stone tiles making up the floor attested it. The squares rested at haphazard angles: both overlapped and separated by wide spaces, as if they had been flung from a distance like frisbees and subsequently cemented down.

"Is it me, or is it actually getting warmer?" Yosuke asked and turned to look behind them. The path from which they'd come had been swallowed in seething darkness. He nearly tripped on a lump in the floor, but Souji caught him.

"Careful," Souji warned and helped Yosuke recover. "I think you're right though. It does feel warmer now. We may be close."

"Yeah. I get that feeling, too."

Still, the odd house remained strangely empty. The path was straight and long—impossible to get lost on. They had neither seen many Shadows along the way. It was all going just a little too easily, and though that fact didn't sit well with either of them, neither vocalized their concerns.

Finally, the stone motif gave over completely to ancient, rich woods. Sconces bearing mysterious light spotted the walls between the jagged doors and occasionally spit up red sparks. The hallway walls and floor seemed to creak with each step they took. Yosuke paused to run a finger over a plank in the wall. When he drew it back, an ashy film covered his fingertip.

"Dust," he declared and wiped the matter on his jeans.

A faint series of noises resembling human voices rolled out from the curtain of stillness and made the boys pause, straining to hear. It issued from the door just ahead. They approached carefully, though the creaking floor made it difficult. Moans of various pitches slid out from the space beneath, gaining a steady momentum. One moment beside the door, where the two could process what they heard, left little doubt as to what was taking place behind that barrier.

Yosuke looked wide-eyed at Souji, a blush covering his cheeks. "Y-you don't think?"

Souji scrutinized the doorknob for a moment before covering it with a shaky hand. When he twisted, however, nothing happened. The lewd sounds continued uninterrupted and he had to fight to keep from blushing himself.

"I don't think it's this room. Let's keep going." Souji hurried away.

Though the doors they encountered at this point were few, each boasted events along the same unseemly lines as the first. Souji had to swallow his disconcertment and attempt to open each one, though none would yield to him.

"This really is too much," Yosuke nearly whispered when he heard the sharp cries of pleasure from another door's unseen side. When Souji looked at him, he had to turn his burning face away.

"Are you okay?" Souji asked.

"Y-yeah! I mean, it's nothing." Yosuke tugged on the front hem of his shirt and stepped to the front line where Souji would be unable to get a good look at him. The fog had grown thicker than usual, and he was very nearly thankful for it. What he hadn't anticipated was nearly running smack into a dead end almost immediately after his retreat. Another door waited there.

"This has to be it," Souji said as he stepped up beside his friend. "Ready?"

Yosuke breathed deep to compose himself. "As ready as I can be."

Souji nodded, and as he turned the handle the door practically flew open for him.


	5. Chapter 5

The light inside was dim, which made it difficult to see clearly despite the fog's heavy presence. Even still, it was apparent the space before them appeared very much like the vision that they had had seen on the Midnight Channel. Windowless and nearly barren but for a few meager furnishings, the room seemed a bit larger than Souji had anticipated. A large blood-red rug with lush fibers rested beside the bed. Souji took in the other details around him. Empty liquor bottles and crushed cigarette packs lay strewn about. Another closed door stood adjacent to them, and the faint sound of running water came from within. Otherwise, nothing could be seen. The air was exceedingly warm and stuffy. But what Souji found most surprising was the lack of other bodies.

"They're not here," Souji said as he eyed the corners, searching for even a flicker of life.

"What's not here?" Yosuke asked, not daring to go inside first.

"Those women I saw. The ones with blindfolds."

"Oh yeah. But that's a good thing, right? We've got our hands full with just your uncle as it is."

"I don't know…" Souji finally braved a step into the room.

Once Yosuke had followed, the door slammed shut and locked behind them. Yosuke turned and stared incredulously at it before trying to pry the thing back open. Failing, he turned back to Souji. "Dude, what the fuck is going on? This isn't cool!"

"Let's just stay calm," Souji reasoned, despite his pounding heart. "We won't get anything accomplished if we let this place get to us."

"I know, but—"

The faint sound of water abruptly ceasing cut Yosuke off. The two tensed and turned toward the mysterious door, waiting for whatever would emerge.

Hardly a moment later, the thing slowly swung open. A cloud of hot mist billowed forth and mingled with the omnipresent fog. Then, Dojima stepped out.

Souji, caught completely off guard at his uncle's state of undress, could only stare for the moment. He had never really entertained visions of Dojima's physique before, but seeing most of it now he became almost dumbstruck at how well maintained the man actually looked. It was clear that Dojima was not the type to have weight issues; his muscles, though not necessarily ripped, were undeniably well toned and overall age had looked rather kindly on him.

Dojima's damp body was wrapped about the waist in a white towel and his wet hair dripped water over his shoulders; thin rivulets snaked down his arms and chest. He appeared at ease, completely comfortable and relaxed. But when he spotted Souji and Yosuke, his aura shifted to that of bitter amusement. He smirked sardonically, but said nothing. Instead, he reached back around the bathroom corner and pulled out a pristine pack of cigarettes. After a hard smack against the heel of his hand, a single cigarette shot halfway out from the rest. Dojima raised the pack to his lips and drew the projecting stick out slowly, almost provocatively. As he lit its end, his gaze never left either of their faces. The light of the flame made his eyes appear demonic. Then, with a steady drag, he chucked the pack and lighter carelessly over his shoulder and let them clatter to the floor.

As he exhaled a long, heavy stream of pale smoke, his mirthless smile returned. "Well well well. Look who's here."

"Careful," Souji advised and braced himself with a hand on his katana's hilt. The dark tone of man's voice did not sit well with him. "I think that's his Shadow."

Dojima's smile touched his eyes now, and he laughed deep and long. After a moment he calmed and returned his affections to his neglected cigarette. "Ahhh. It really does feel good to laugh. I'd forgotten."

"Where's the real Dojima-san?" Yosuke bit out, hands ready on his kunai.

"So, the Junes kid speaks after all," Shadow Dojima drawled. "What a shame."

"Answer us," Souji pressed.

The man's eyes flickered with golden light. "That all depends on your definition of 'real,' now, doesn't it?"

"You know exactly what we mean," Yosuke barked.

"Of course I know what you mean, you worthless little _fuck_. Have you forgotten that I _am_ a detective?"

"Then tell us!" Souji worried at the Shadow's elevated tone, hoping his uncle had not succumbed to any harm.

"He's just having a…minor breakdown of sorts. A mid-life crisis maybe? Huh." Shadow Dojima jerked his head toward the room from which he came. "In there." He snorted in disdain. "It's the funniest thing, really. I think he wanted you to show up. As if you might save him from this so-called nightmare."

The Shadow flicked his half-smoked cigarette at Yosuke, who barely dodged it before it would have collided with his face.

"Heh. But _I_ know he wanted you here for other reasons. I wonder if you're prepared to accept them, though. Hmph. Well, it doesn't matter in the end. Gratification. _That's_ what matters most. We're nothing if we never attain what we want."

Souji stiffened at the Shadow's words.

"The hell are you talking about?" Yosuke snapped.

"I know. Let's strike a deal." Shadow Dojima seemed to grow serious. "Put down those toys of yours, and maybe I'll let you see for yourselves."

Souji furrowed his brow and looked to Yosuke, who did not seem to have any other alternative in mind. "Let's just go with it for now," Souji whispered to his friend and carefully set his blade on the floor.

Yosuke looked distraught at this turn of events, but followed Souji's lead. With their weapons laid beside them, the two had no choice at the moment but to stand at guard. Shadow Dojima smiled and turned to mumble something into the bathroom that neither could hear. Soon, another foot stepped from the mist and Souji's uncle emerged. Unlike his Shadow, he remained in his full detective's ensemble.

Dojima looked at his nephew, his face written in turmoil. "Souji. Why. How did you get here?"

Seeing Souji at a loss, Yosuke entreated on his behalf. "Dojima-san! Are you okay?"

When his eyes slid to the auburn-haired boy, Dojima's expression darkened slightly. "Why are _you_ here?"

"We came to save you." Yosuke looked back at Souji, wondering why his friend remained silent. Something about Souji's face betrayed his desperate unease.

"We don't need saving," Shadow Dojima growled and approached Yosuke.

Standing before him, the Shadow took Yosuke's chin roughly in his hand. Yosuke, shocked at the sudden contact, tried to free himself, but the grip on his face only tightened against his efforts. He whimpered in pain.

"As if two kids with delusions of being some kind of agents of justice could do much along those lines anyway." The Shadow swiveled Yosuke's head a bit and looked closely at his face. "Hmm. Not all that fascinating to look at, is he?" He glanced over at Souji, who remained frozen to the spot. "I'll bet he's a lousy fuck as well. Has he ever even made you come without touching your cock?"

"S-stop it," Souji whispered. He could practically hear his blood flowing in his ears.

Shadow Dojima shoved Yosuke away, causing the latter to stumble and fall hard to his knees. With a hand braced on the floor to balance himself, Yosuke rubbed tenderly at his throbbing jaw and glared at the Shadow, who was now walking in a slow and appraising circle around Souji.

"Stop what?" The Shadow's tone dripped with fatherly concern.

"It's…not like that." Hearing those words from his uncle's mouth, even from that of his Shadow, made the heat rise unbearably to Souji's head. It was too embarrassing. The last thing he wanted his guardian to speak of, to _know_ of, was anything about the gradual turn Souji's feelings had taken for his best friend recently. His _male_ best friend. He was having a difficult time adjusting to it himself. He felt his hands begin to shake again, and though he tried with all his willpower to control himself, he could do little to ease his anxiety.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to lie to me? You're not good at it. I'm only looking out for you, Souji. I want you to get what you deserve. And you..." The Shadow paused, now standing in front of his prey, and smoothed a hand through Souji's hair before gripping it in his fist. He leaned in close, gold eyes burning into Souji's terrified ones. "You deserve something that'll really satisfy you."

Souji squeezed his eyes shut against that fiery, intense stare and his body instantly stiffened when he felt something warm and slick on his face. Shadow Dojima ran his tongue from Souji's jaw up along that curve until he reached the boy's ear, where he playfully bit on its lobe.

"You taste good. I can only imagine what the rest of you tastes like. And I have imagined it, again…and again." Though the Shadow said this into Souji's ear between licks, it was not lost on the others.

Dojima, who had up until now been in a kind of trance with his back to the wall, snapped to attention, furious. "That's not true, you sick son of a bitch!"

"Oho, I beg to differ." Shadow Dojima moved quickly, letting go of Souji's hair and gripping his wrists together behind his back to keep the boy from fighting. A strangled cry rattled Souji's throat as he stood at the Shadow's mercy.

Seeing his friend in such peril, Yosuke jumped to his feet and swept up a kunai in one fluid motion. His face contorted in passionate fury. "Bastard!"

But before he even had a chance to swing the blade down, Shadow Dojima had lashed out with his free hand and punched Yosuke hard in the face. Souji could hear the connection of bone against bone separated only by fragile layers of skin. He watched Yosuke reel, completely dazed. His lip had been split, and blood already oozed thickly from his nose as well. Red stained the pallor of his skin in vivid, cruel streams, and Yosuke slumped unconscious to the floor next to his fallen kunai. His blood dripped steadily down his cheeks, already lost within the vermilion rug.

"Yosuke!" Souji called out, but the Shadow covered his mouth. He could smell Yosuke's blood on that hand. Tears sprang to his eyes.

"Shh."

Seeing the scene's escalation, Dojima finally broke free from his stupor and moved to confront the being wearing his face.

"Stop," his Shadow warned and then reconsidered. "Or don't. Maybe you want to see him bleed as well?"

Souji looked to his uncle with glassy, reddened eyes. Seeing that vulnerability, Dojima immediately yielded. "What is it you want from me?"

The Shadow seemed pleased. "Acknowledge me. Admit that we're the same."

"The same?" Dojima echoed.

"Yes."

Dojima grimaced, his anger mounting. "No, I'm nothing like that. Do you hear me? Nothing at all!"

The Shadow's eager expression melted into controlled rage, golden eyes smoldering. "You're a fool. But, then again, we're the type that's better swayed by actions than words, aren't we?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: _Ahem...some people may find this chapter rather deplorable. For the rest of you, hope you're enjoying the story so far. :) I'm not putting up warnings from here on out; take that as you will._

* * *

Releasing Souji's mouth, Shadow Dojima ran a hand down the boy's chest, undoing his shirt buttons along the way until his smooth torso was laid bare. Souji struggled vehemently, but the grip on his wrists would not loosen. Without control of his hands, he could not summon his Persona, could not even defend himself. He suddenly bent at the waist and lurched forward with all his strength, eyes fixed on his katana, but the Shadow seized a handful of his hair and yanked him backward. Souji's back collided hard with the Shadow's chest and he screamed in pain when he felt his hair pulled close to tearing.

"If you try something like that again, I'll slice your stupid boyfriend's throat with his own weapon before you even have time to blink," Shadow Dojima threatened.

Souji stilled, his heart hammering and his mind racing. He had to think of something to get out of this without risking further violence to Yosuke. But then he couldn't do much if he fell into harm's way either. He would just have to wait for his chance. But why was his uncle just standing there? If only Yosuke would snap out of it…

Souji barely had time to project his will toward his fallen friend before his captor's hand began to work at him again without warning. This time it wrenched the buttons on his fly apart with one determined pull. He grunted in shocked indignation and turned his wild eyes to the man on the other side of the room.

"Dojima-san! Please—" Souji wailed.

But Dojima could only watch passively as if it was all just a dream.

"Did you know your boring little boytoy was getting pretty worked up on the way here? Just hearing those sounds was enough to get him hot," Shadow Dojima revealed to Souji. "But you suppressed it pretty well. I wonder why. Is it because you haven't experienced a real orgasm before?"

The invading hand slid under Souji's boxers' waistband and curled lovingly around his balls before pulling gently on his unresponsive cock. After a few more strokes, however, Souji was dismayed to find that his body began to submit to the deliberate attention it was being given. His traitorous organ grew more erect with each humiliating ministration of that rough hand, and he ground his teeth in an attempt distract himself. It didn't work well.

From his angle Dojima could see very well what was taking place, even though nothing was revealed in full sight. The Shadow's large hand, built just like his own, moved meticulously against the infernally thin fabric of his nephew's underpants, eliciting a soft shudder from Souji. No more. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Get your hands off him!" Dojima snapped.

The Shadow laughed. "Oh, come off it already. You're getting hard; admit it. You've been wanting to do this for months."

Dojima shook his head, torn by the Shadow's taunts. "No. He's…my sister's son…"

"The same sister you hardly speak with? The one that didn't even bother coming to Chisato's funeral because she was too fucking _busy_? The one you haven't seen in nearly fifteen years? She might as well be a stranger and you know it."

Dojima bit his lip.

"Besides, it's exciting, isn't it? Knowing that it's just so deliciously _wrong_? And hell, where else are you gonna get it? Look at him. He's so grown up now, and all too willing." The Shadow did something with his hand to wring a strangled cry from Souji, and Dojima's body flushed with desire.

"Wasting his time with that Junes punk, who the hell can blame him? It's about time he learns what _real_ sex is." The Shadow glanced at Yosuke. "Maybe we should teach this brat, too."

"Shut up…" Dojima growled.

"Come here," his Shadow taunted and smiled lewdly. "Come and feel just _how much_ he's grown after all these years."

Dojima squeezed his eyes shut, wishing all of this would simply stop affecting him so he could act like the fucking police detective he was and just put a stop to it. But despite his best intentions, despite his attempts to think logically, nothing seemed to quell the waves of lust reigning through his veins. Souji's physical state, as well as his conflicted whimpers, did not help matters at all.

When he reopened his eyes, Dojima saw that the Shadow had pulled Souji's naked erection free and was currently dragging his thumb over the precum that had collected on its blushing tip. The spectacle was so dirty, so fantastic and yet completely tangible. It was all too much, and now he only wanted more of it. He felt his own cock swell to its limit, pressing furiously against the constraints of his trousers. Without realizing it, he had moved forward until he was close enough to touch Souji. And he did. Watching his Shadow molest his submissive nephew was like watching himself do it—a scenario he had often imagined when he was alone, feeling depraved, touching himself and pretending his hand belonged to the teenager.

Now Dojima's fingers had replaced his Shadow's on Souji's cock; he stroked with the same force, the same years of experience, the same patient yet barely restrained desire. Souji had kept his eyes closed tight. Images of his sister's disapproving face floated in Dojima's mind's eye for a moment, but he bound her senseless and stashed her neatly away. Just the way he always did when the guilt seeped in. She would not bear witness to this heinous act. Not even his Chisato could know…

Remorse strayed Dojima's hand away for a moment, but the Shadow took hold of his wrist and forced it back down onto Souji.

"Don't stop. Can't you see he wants it?" Shadow Dojima purred.

Dojima looked down and saw a blush tingeing Souji's cheeks. He found it extremely endearing, and his hand began to move again on its own accord, savoring every hard inch his nephew had to offer.

"Yes, that's it," the Shadow encouraged, leaning in close to Dojima's ear. "Just. Like. That."

Before he knew it Dojima had taken his Shadow's place completely with Souji lowered to the floor, the boy's wrists still constrained within his own strong hand as he lay propped on his side behind his nephew. He had unbuttoned his pants to let his throbbing erection free. Shadow Dojima had half undressed the unconscious Yosuke—the kid's bare lower body unresisting as the Shadow fondled him from behind as well. Even oblivious, Yosuke's flesh responded to the Shadow's touch. All four of them were positioned closely on the lush rug, each pair facing the other.

Souji could hardly believe what was happening, and the trauma of it sent his mind into a kind of numb state. He didn't want this, but at the same time he couldn't help his body's responses no matter how much he hated them. Tears spilled from his eyes as he lay silent and helpless under the more powerful man's restraint. He didn't know when it would end. Every time he came closer to losing himself in the sensations, Dojima would do something to keep his excitement at bay. On more than one occasion it was something painful: a hard jerk of his hair, a pinch on the tender skin of his inner thigh, a stinging slap to the ass.

A low groan suddenly tumbled from Yosuke's lips as he stirred. His bleeding had stopped some time ago, but the blood that had collected on his face was now a drying mess. Another groan soon followed as he registered the teasing sensations focused on his hardened cock. "Uun. Yeah, that's it. God that feels good, Souji."

Hearing his name said in such a manner sent a strange marriage of panic, embarrassment, and titillation in waves through Souji's groin. He wasn't sure whether he should attempt to wake his friend or not. The Shadow laughed under his breath.

But Yosuke soon opened his eyes on his own accord. Blinking groggily, he finally registered Souji's face directly across from his own, separated by only a short distance. He half smiled, still somewhat dazed.

"Yosuke," Souji pleaded quietly, "don't open your eyes. Please don't."

Yosuke didn't heed his friend's advice. Reopening his eyes, his field of vision slowly expanded and full consciousness began to regain control. Just when he realized that his hands were being held behind his back, he felt fingers tangle in his hair and grip hard. He winced and tried to worm away, but that only made his situation worse. A knee pried his legs open from behind, pushing the topmost one up to better expose him. Then he felt a hard push against his anus as whoever was behind him forced into him fully. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open in shock, unable to make a sound. Even as the second thrust came, he managed to register Dojima's form lying behind Souji. Then it all came back to him.

It was then that Dojima decided he couldn't take teasing and stretching his nephew anymore. He shoved three fingers into Souji's mouth, wetting them liberally before applying the warm liquid to the tight entrance against which his cock now quivered. Then he penetrated slowly, carefully, but immersed himself nearly to the hilt immediately.

Souji cried out in pain, but that only served to both upset and encourage Dojima. Though the boy was tight, he was certain that Souji was no virgin. He had the damn Junes kid to blame for that. He pulled out slowly, nearly completely, and thrust back in again and again, making Souji's entire body rock back and forth helplessly as the kid mewled.

Shadow Dojima's movements mirrored his original's, and Yosuke could not suppress his own tears of discomfort. The Shadow released Yosuke's left arm and whispered in his ear: "Touch him." When Yosuke didn't move, he gave a forceful tug to the boy's hair again. Yosuke tried to squelch the cry of agony that induced, but only half succeeded. What came out was a strangled sob.

"If you don't jerk him off, I'll tear your fucking hair out," the Shadow hissed.

With a shaky hand, Yosuke reached out and touched Souji's half hard cock, tentatively at first, but eventually wrapped his hand around it fully. Pumping steadily, he managed to bring Souji's erection back to life.

"Yosuke…" Souji mumbled, looking half-lidded at his friend with blurry eyes. "Don't…"

Dojima used his free hand to grip Souji's thigh and pushed his leg up higher, shifting himself closer so that he could thrust in deeper and better get Souji off. His efforts were rewarded with a sharp intake of breath as he continued his assault on the boy's prostate.

"Don't say his name," Dojima warned huskily.

He released his grip from that smooth thigh to join Yosuke's hand on Souji's cock, smoothing his hand downward over Yosuke's trembling fingers until it came to rest on Souji's tight balls. He caressed them carefully. The last of Souji's pain dissolved and he could no longer suppress himself. His moans now came with full abandon.

Yosuke watched Souji's face transform from discomforted to something akin to oblivious agony. Only he knew that was not the case. Souji's face was flushed; sweat matting the hairs around his face, his throat producing those sexy groans. Though Yosuke's cock had deflated quickly when the Shadow took him, seeing and hearing Souji's current state had made it swell and beg for attention once again. He fleetingly imagined it was Souji taking him, but just when that thought appeared in his mind, Shadow Dojima shifted himself to strike Yosuke's prostate as well.

"Ahh, fuuck, s-stop," Yosuke half moaned through gritted teeth as the skilled cock drilled into him, hitting all the right places. He squeezed Souji harder without meaning to.

Souji winced. Feeling the already tight muscles clamp down around him, Dojima groaned low and thrust even harder. His climax was nearly upon him. He growled and swatted Yosuke's hand away, taking the controls for himself.

When Yosuke's innocent touches were replaced by his uncle's confident ones, those callused fingers stroking with just the right amount of vigorous pressure, Souji lost it right there. His entire body went rigid and he fell into wave upon wave of release, invoking God's name all the while.

Feeling Souji's copious spurts of semen slicking his hand, the boy's hot ass griping him near the point of exquisite agony, and hearing those hardly pious pleas, Dojima could not hold back any longer. He relinquished Souji's spent erection and drew his hand to his mouth, pushing his middle finger inside. The slightly bitter taste of Souji's seed spread across his rolling tongue and he relished it, memorized it. With one final, brutal thrust, he submitted to the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced and let its testament spill to overflowing inside his nephew.

Yosuke, too, could not hold back. Seeing Souji coming so hard right there before him sent him over the edge. The pressure on his prostate intensified as well, and he instinctively grasped his own twitching cock. It only took a few clumsy strokes to get him off from there. His erection erupted forcefully in hot liquid pulses as he cried out.

The only sounds now were those of heavy breathing, but that strange lull quickly shattered. Souji, suddenly more aware of his surroundings and what had just transpired fell into the clutches of its horror and moaned low. He pulled his now-free hands around to the front of his body and shielded his face. A sob wracked his body.

Yosuke had been more mindful, though he wasn't much better off. Still, he couldn't stand to see Souji broken. Not like that.

"Souji…" he called softly. "We…can't…give up. Not yet." Though he could never have imagined they would end up like this, he knew that there was still something they had to do. Teddie was waiting for them. Nanako. She would be waiting for them as well. That particular thought charged him, and he concentrated on it. Before long his strength would return. But he could do very little if Souji wasn't able to come back to him.

His intruder pulled out without warning and Yosuke winced. "You've already lost." The Shadow's voice was hard and icy, almost alien.

The sound of that voice, combined with the terrible way the body curled against his own jerked, snapped Dojima back into reality. He pulled out, already flaccid, and could hardly tear his worried eyes from the sight of his nephew hiding behind his hands like that, the sobs escaping his throat like those from some beaten animal. Blood and semen oozed thinly from Souji's backside.

Dojima's breath caught painfully in his throat. "Oh God…what…have I done?"


	7. Chapter 7

Dojima managed to put his clothes back into reasonable order without really consciously intending to, all the while shaking his head in refusal and muttering under his breath fragmented assurances that none of this was real. It simply _had_ to be a dream, despite the throbbing ache and the doubt that attested otherwise. He hesitantly reached out and brushed his fingertips over Souji's shoulder, but the boy flinched away. At that moment something reared up in the pit of his stomach and he felt sour bile tear a path halfway up his throat. He swallowed it back and sat up, hand firmly pressed against his revolting belly. "This…it's is just a nightmare. I could never…"

"Shut it." Shadow Dojima grimaced. "I don't wanna hear those half-assed self-righteous lectures of yours anymore. It's pathetic. You can and you _did_. Own up to it." He stood up and sauntered toward the bathroom, disappearing inside for a moment. When he returned he wore only his belted slacks, a bottle in his hand and a cigarette burning between his lips.

The Shadow came and knelt beside Dojima, who was still shaking his head and staring into some other invisible dimension. Exhaling a thin stream of smoke, the Shadow placed the cigarette against Dojima's trembling lips, which instinctively took the offering. The bottle was then settled into Dojima's limp hand as it rested against the floor.

"Drink up," the Shadow advised.

Dojima looked down at the bottle for a long moment before pulling the cigarette from his mouth with his free hand. He listened to the sound of Souji's hitched breathing. The sound of the Junes kid's idiotic murmuring. The sound of his own weak heart pumping blood through his body. Oblivion smiled seductively at him in his mind's eye and he felt sick all over again. Slowly, his grip on the glass tightened.

With a strong sweep of the arm, he flung the bottle across the room. The sound of shattering glass broke the tense atmosphere, and both Yosuke and Shadow Dojima turned to look wide-eyed at the mess of liquor and bubbles cascading down the wall. Dojima stood too fast and swayed a bit, but his hand swiftly and steadily yanked his pistol free from his holster. Without warning, he turned and fired. The crack of the explosion practically rattled the walls and the Shadow's head snapped back.

For a long moment Dojima stood and breathed heavily, his arms still poised with his gun pointed at his double. The latter still stood, legs spaced widely apart to balance his body, with his head and shoulders slumped back. Dark, viscous blood drizzled like a black waterfall from the Shadow's head to the floor below. A strained chuckle tightened Dojima's finger on the trigger.

The Shadow's head snapped forward in an arc and landed with his chin resting against his chest. He rolled his head to the side and lifted it to look directly at Dojima. A dark hole dripped thinly from the center of the Shadow's forehead.

"Nice shot," the Shadow taunted and smiled. "But it's not enough." He began to walk toward Dojima.

Lowering his aim, Dojima fired again. The shot ripped a hole into the Shadow's chest and made him stagger. The Shadow recovered quickly, however, and that dark fluid trickled from still-smiling lips.

Yosuke left off tending to Souji for the moment in favor of the violence before him. He had wriggled his jeans back on, trying hard to ignore the pain that came with his actions. Retrieving his blades, he entreated Dojima.

"Dojima-san, please listen carefully. You can't defeat it like this."

"I won't let this…thing…get away with what it's done," Dojima proclaimed, more to himself than to Yosuke.

The Shadow lashed out so swiftly that Dojima didn't see the action coming. That hand gripped his throat and squeezed hard, surprising Dojima enough to drop his pistol. The Shadow's other hand quickly followed and Dojima grasped his Shadow's wrists in an attempt to pull them away. But the hands holding his throat, wringing the very breath out of him, were too strong for him to overcome. The Shadow pushed him backward until the back of Dojima's head collided hard with the wall. White stars flitted in his field of vision.

Shadow Dojima's face twisted in black amusement. "I know it felt good to finally do that, but the kid's right."

"Dojima-san."

Both Yosuke and the addressed were surprised by the weak voice that suddenly spoke. Souji had sat up, tears still staining his cheeks. His weary eyes were fixed on the floor as he softly continued. "It's okay. We all have a side like this."

Dojima closed his eyes, both out of pain and the onset of resignation. The Shadow's grip loosened slightly.

"Please…you have to accept it," Souji murmured. "For yourself, and for your daughter."

Souji's tone of voice and the thought of Nanako left alone cut straight into his heart. It was all too reprehensible, but he knew what he had to do now. Denial could no longer hold him afloat. For now, he would just have to give in.

As if sensing Dojima's growing resolve, the Shadow released his grip on the man's neck. Dojima slumped to the floor and coughed.

"I tried to repress it. I tried damn hard. But I could never just erase it, even knowing how sickening it was. Those feelings. They ate me alive sometimes." Dojima shut his eyes and turned his head away. "But I swear on my life I never wanted to hurt you, Souji."

Dojima looked back up at his Shadow. "Yes. You were a part of me, even if I hated it," he said softly, his bruised throat straining.

The Shadow gazed thoughtfully at his original.

"All this time I just…didn't know how to deal with it."

The Shadow nodded slowly and wavered. "Now, you understand." With an almost sad smile the Shadow dissolved and vanished, leaving only the fog in his wake.

Souji shifted and began to pull on his pants with obvious agony. Yosuke moved to help him and Souji did not bother to deny the assistance, as degrading as it was.

"Can you stand?" Yosuke asked once the last button was secured.

Souji nodded and lifted himself from the floor. Pain sluiced through his muscles, but he fought to ignore it. Yosuke was right; there were more pressing matters to attend to. He could never allow his friends to consider him a leader if he couldn't even make it through this. The people he cared about depended on him now more than ever.

Souji approached Dojima and offered out his hand. "Let's go home."

Dojima looked at the turned up hand and then at Souji's face. Though the boy appeared calm, he recognized immediately the despair and disappointment behind those eyes. He reached out and grasped that hand, but pulled his own weight up without the aid. Embracing Souji hard as soon as he stood, Dojima let out a choked sound.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Souji, somewhat surprised, listened absently to the mantra and allowed his arms to return the embrace, though it was an empty reaction in truth. He didn't know what to think. No, he simply couldn't think about what had happened right now. All he wanted was to get the hell out of that place.

Yosuke was apparently of the same mind. He pulled one of Dojima's arms free and guided his own arm through it for support. Souji mirrored the action and took his katana from Yosuke when his friend handed it to him. Together they managed to escape from the long dark hall with Dojima, who unresistingly allowed them their assistance. Muted pleas for forgiveness occasionally tumbled past his lips as they went.

As they came to the portal leading out, Yosuke looked to Souji as Dojima continued his oblivious rambling. Silver hair fell in an absolute mess about Souji's head and managed to obscure his eyes. But from the way the corner of his mouth dipped, Yosuke could tell Souji was repressing the urge to break down. It hurt to see his friend that way, knowing he could do nothing at the moment to help. He wanted desperately to do what Dojima had done—embrace Souji and mutter mindless apologies. He felt partially responsible for had happened. If only he hadn't passed out at that crucial moment. If only he hadn't been so damn weak, he could have somehow stopped it.

"Yosuke."

Yosuke blinked when he heard Souji address him, though the boy hadn't looked up. "Yeah?"

"I still mean what I said before. No one can know."

Yosuke bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah…"

"Come on."

They exited the doorway and found themselves on the outer landing of the manor-like house. The red lamps above were no longer illuminated and everything lay in still darkness. Teddie suddenly rushed out from a clump of shrubs nearby.

"What took you guys so long?" he practically screamed. "I was getting so worried and—" Teddie cut himself off when he saw the state of his friends. He stopped and stared for a moment. "Sensei? W-what's wrong? And Yosuke. Your face is all bloody." After eyeing the both of them, he studied Dojima.

"We're okay, Ted," Yosuke lied. "But we need to get him out of here ASAP."

"Something bad happened, didn't it? Just like I thought? I sensed something."

"We'll talk about it later," Yosuke replied and noted Teddie's doubt. "Promise."

Teddie nodded. "Fine. But I'm still worried, you know." He began to lead them back toward the starting point. No one said a word the entire way.

* * *

Outside Junes, the air was cool and refreshing. They had received a few curious stares from the few remaining evening shoppers as the peculiar foursome made its way through the department store, but not one of them seemed to care. Yosuke had his cell ringing a taxi company the second their feet hit the sidewalk pavement.

"They'll be here in five," he confirmed as he shut his phone. Looking around, he closed the distance between himself and Souji. Leaning in close, he talked softly. "Do you want us to tag along? Just to be safe?"

Souji shook his head. "It's okay now. I can manage." He turned to look Yosuke in the eyes for the first time since they were in that compromising position in the strange room. "I'll see you tomorrow."

There was some hidden meaning enmeshed within that simple statement, or at least Yosuke thought he heard it. "You're sure?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Yosuke." Souji's eyes were averted again.

Though he felt a bit reluctant leaving Souji alone, Yosuke knew he wouldn't be able to sway his friend's opinion. And honestly, there was a part of him deep inside that had wanted to escape anyway. All this play at normalcy was beginning to fray his nerves. He nodded and agreed they'd see each other at school first thing in the morning before walking away with Teddie in tow. Unable to resist, he turned to look back when the cab drove past him and watched Souji help Dojima into the car.

"Hey, Yosuke," Teddie said.

"What?"

"It's just that, well, I know you were lying to me. I'm not mad or anything. I just don't like being kept in the dark, especially when you're hurt."

Yosuke reached up and brushed a hand over his mouth, feeling the swollen gash on his upper lip and the crust of dried blood on his cheek. "Heh. I guess you _can_ be pretty perceptive sometimes, Ted." He attempted to lighten the mood, but Teddie wasn't buying into it. Yosuke slumped his shoulders as he walked. "I must look like a wreck right now."

"Yeah. You do."

"Sorry. I know it's not fair to you. But for now, as a favor to Souji and me, can we just leave it alone?"

"Okay. For you guys."

The two continued along the dusk-laden streets, each in his own dark world of contemplation.

* * *

Souji was thankful he had enough money in his wallet from his part-time job to cover the cab fare once the vehicle pulled up to the Dojima residence. He told the driver to forget his change and slammed the car door shut. Hurrying to Dojima's side, he unlocked the front door and slid it open. Nanako practically materialized from the wall she was there to confront them so quickly.

The state of them stayed her lecture, however. Her eyes went wide. "Dad? Big Bro? What happened?"

Souji forced a smile. It almost hurt. "Hey, Nana-chan. Sorry I forgot to call. I ran into your dad outside the bar and we kinda…took a spill in the flood plain walking home." Souji shrugged but didn't feel very relieved when Dojima said nothing. He wasn't sure Nanako would buy it.

From the look on her face it appeared she was in fact dubious, but she didn't retort. "I'll go make up his futon," she stated dully and ran upstairs.

Souji kicked off his shoes and Dojima managed to mindlessly do the same. Once unshod, the man broke free of his nephew and wandered off toward the stairway.

"Dojima-san…um, are you going to be okay?" Souji called after him.

"Please, just leave me alone. I can't bear to look at you right now..."

Souji watched as his uncle disappeared around the corner, the man's heavy footsteps slowly ascending the stairs. After a moment he heard Nanako's upset voice say something and Dojima's door shut soon after. Her barely audible steps flew across the hall and down the stairs before she stood expectantly in front of Souji.

"Big Bro, what's wrong with Dad? He doesn't even smell like sake tonight."

"He's just tired, Nanako. Sometimes they work him too hard at the station and he hasn't been feeling well lately. You understand, right?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

Souji hugged her and kissed the crown of her head. "Sorry we worried you. It won't happen again." He could feel her melting under his embrace and was relieved for it. "Come on, it's bedtime."

After seeing her to her room for the night, Souji hauled his heavy body up the stairs toward the bathroom. Shutting the door quietly, he turned the lock and rested his back and head against the door. After a few deep breaths he moved to turn on the hot water tap and allowed the bathtub to gradually fill. His muscles protested as he slowly twisted his limbs out of his clothing. As he tossed the soiled articles to the floor, his naked flesh shivered with the slight chill hanging in the room. He studied his reflection in the mirror.

His hair was a tangled mess. His eyes were bloodshot and tired and even a trace amount of Yosuke's blood still clung to the underside of his nose. No wonder Nanako was worried. He sighed and shut his eyes, nausea suddenly rolling through his stomach. Before he had a chance to quell it, his mouth watered uncontrollably and his body seemed to move on instinct toward the toilet. He had just barely managed to lift the lid in time when a series of dry heaves wracked his entire body. Saliva dripped from his mouth to the water below. Even though nothing was coming up—he hadn't realized until then that he had eaten nothing at all that day—he could not stop his heaving. The effort alone was enough to make him hurt even more.

With a decent amount of willpower, he managed to loosen the fist squeezing his stomach and released his death grip on the porcelain. He staggered to a stand and found the tub was nearly full now. Turning off the tap, he lowered a foot into the water, hands bracing his weight against the wall, and cringed at the near-scalding temperature. He brought his other leg into the water and began to lower himself in anyway. As his skin flushed, his nerves cried out in protest and Souji's tears began anew. It might have been the water burning his skin. It may have been the looming task of coming to terms with the fact that his body had been ravaged by someone he trusted that now faced him. They came all the same without prejudice.

Reaching his arm into the water between his legs, Souji rubbed at the mess still clinging to him. Faint pinkish-red clouds swirled to the surface of the water, dissolving away soon after. He watched it, almost entranced, and the minute he let his mind go the night's scene replayed for him again. He remembered the violent way he came, an experience that paled everything he had successfully wrung from his body when he masturbated. The fact that it _had_ felt so good was beyond any imaginable humiliation. And Yosuke had gone through it as well. Though he knew it wasn't necessarily Dojima's fault, it was still rape.

Dojima. Did he really think of Souji that way? He couldn't believe this had been going on under his nose and he never even caught so much as a hint. He felt so stupid. Souji's temples began to throb painfully with the thought. Leaning forward, he rested his head in his hands and covered his stinging eyes from the light, trying to choke back his tears.


	8. Chapter 8

"…Bro?"

Soft knocking on his bedroom door roused him and Souji pulled the blanket down from his face to glare at the dusty rays of morning sunshine crawling in from behind his curtains. It felt as though he had hardly gotten any sleep last night. What time was it anyway? He rubbed at his eyes and realized his lids were swollen. His mouth and throat felt siphoned dry.

Groaning, he turned his neck to look at the wall clock and the action sent a fleeting jolt of dull pain through his skull. The knocking came again.

"Big Bro! You're gonna be late!"

Souji forced himself to sit up and get out of bed, the blood rushing from his head momentarily fading his vision to a haze. He smashed his pinky toe on the leg of his worktable and muttered a curse under his breath as he made his way at a slight hobble toward the door. Nanako stood on the other side wearing her usual worried frown with her school uniform on, a small, folded umbrella gripped in her hand.

"Are you sick?" she asked.

Souji nodded sluggishly and rested his forehead against the doorframe with closed eyes. "I think so."

"Oh. You must've caught whatever Dad has. He's staying home today, too."

Recollection unrolled slowly in Souji's brain.

"…There's some miso soup in the fridge. Make sure you both eat it, okay?" She gave him a firm look that only a child well practiced at playing the household mother could muster.

Souji offered a weak grin. "Yes, Boss."

She wilted and smiled in return, giving a sweet little wave as she departed. "It's supposed to rain today, so be sure to stay inside. And don't forget to drink lots of water!"

When she had gone, the front door firmly shut and the house left to uncomfortable stillness, Souji wondered what he should do. There wasn't enough time to make it to morning classes. Not only that, but the thought of Kashiwagi teasing him in front of the class for being tardy made him inwardly cringe. Not that he wanted to make an appearance today as it was. He was awake now, despite the lingering fatigue, so trying to get back to sleep seemed impossible. Breakfast didn't sound like a very attractive option either, though the growling in his stomach insisted otherwise. Force-feeding himself was probably the best course of action at this point. Energy in any form sounded far more favorable to the wasted state in which he currently suffered.

Sighing, he returned to the bedroom to rummage through his dresser drawer in search of his faded jeans. As he pulled them on over his boxers, he realized his body didn't hurt nearly as much as it had yesterday. For that, he was grateful. Next he slipped on his white Junes-logo t-shirt—a cheesy prize for winning some weekly motivational employee competition—that Yosuke had given him several weeks ago. Though it was meant to be a sort of souvenir of Inaba—or so Yosuke had claimed, though Souji theorized that his friend probably had a stockpile of them—Souji tended to wear it when he felt like spending the day slopping about the house. It was a bit oversized, but comfortable at least. And the fact that it had belonged to Yosuke at all instilled a sort of stupid yet benign calm into Souji's being. He certainly could use that on a day like this.

Moving out into the hallway, he glanced over and saw that Dojima's door hadn't budged. Only when he exhaled his relief did he realize he had been holding his breath in the first place. He didn't think he could handle the inevitable confrontation first thing in the morning. Rehearsing something prior sounded like a better plan. Maybe he would get to work on that over breakfast.

Souji padded barefoot down the stairs and opened the refrigerator. Inside was a pot of soup with a note taped to the lid: 'Get better! Love, Nanako.' She must have made it last night. Sometimes the girl's sharp perception startled him. She was far too young to be so responsible.

Taking out the pot and setting it on a burner turned to its lowest setting, Souji became lost in thought, wondering if Dojima was really okay. It had taken some time for his friends to recover from confronting their own Shadows, but they managed to grow stronger from it in the end. Dojima was different somehow. Souji considered whether or not the man had acquired some hidden power from the experience. If he had, there was no sign of it. And if not, then what remained?

The circumstances of Dojima's abduction composed an even greater mystery. Why him? Or perhaps more importantly, how? Dojima was not young like the rest of them, nor was he physically weak by any means. Even still. Souji knew something critical was missing. Something he should have seen but didn't. Had Dojima appeared on TV at some point prior to his abduction? If so, how could there be any way that both he and Nanako knew nothing about it?

Souji nearly jumped right from his skin when he heard the doorbell's sudden, shattering chime. His heart racing, he shook his head and forced himself to laugh at his own high-strung reaction. Yet he wondered who would come by at this hour. Nanako might have forgotten something. Or maybe Yosuke had skipped class to come to check on him.

He didn't expect to see Adachi standing there on the doorstep, smiling in the already-fading sunlight. Dark clouds brooded thickly in the sky over the man's shoulder, bloated with the promise of rain.

"Hi there. Um, no school today?" Adachi regarded Souji somewhat quizzically, but his smile never faltered.

"No. Just, not feeling so hot."

Adachi lifted his head in a gesture of understanding. "Ah. Must've caught it from Dojima-san, huh?"

"Uh, that could be."

"Hmm. Guess that's understandable." His gaze remained steady on Souji's eyes. "You two live together and all."

Souji shrugged and looked away.

"Oh, yeah," Adachi seemed to snap from his reverie and held out a plastic bag. "I came to deliver this to him. And you, too, I suppose. It's chicken soup. Er, mind if I come in?"

"He's still asleep, but..." Souji moved aside to let the taller man through.

Adachi removed his shoes and ambled into the kitchen, where he spied the pot warming on the stove. The tangy scent of miso and seaweed already touched the air. "Oh, guess you already had yourselves covered didn't you? And here I was kinda looking forward to playing doctor." He set the bag down on the table anyway.

"Nanako made it," Souji replied somewhat dumbly.

Adachi moved a step closer and tilted his head down slightly to openly study Souji's face. The bold and somewhat strange action made Souji take a cautious step back, his brow crunched in confusion.

"Huh. You don't really look sick." Adachi reached out to touch Souji's forehead.

The sight of that masculine hand coming toward him made Souji reflexively flinch his face away.

Adachi laughed uncertainly and stayed his arm. "H-hey, what's the matter? I'm not gonna hurt you."

Souji could feel a blush rising to his cheeks, betraying his momentary consternation, and it ticked him off. He looked down at the floor. "Sorry."

"Listen. Is…something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I'm just kinda jumpy today I guess."

"Didn't sleep well?"

"Not especially." Souji moved to the stove where he picked up a large spoon and stirred the steaming soup, focusing on the white lumps of tofu dancing in the broth. Something about Adachi was making him anxious, though he was betting on his own nervous projections as the cause. Still, it almost felt as though the man just somehow _knew_.

Souji didn't hear him move, didn't sense the man behind him at all. He only felt the hands fall softly on his shoulders and his own muscles tense up in reaction. His arm froze but his eyes remained fixed wide on the slowly dying spiral in the pot before him, which dragged the soup's components along helplessly in its wake. Adachi was massaging his shoulders with care, the man's fingers pressing into the knots in his upper back he didn't realize he had.

"You're pretty worked up, aren't you?"

Adachi's question was soft, concerned, too close to his ear. But that wasn't what made Souji start to tremble. It was the _way_ he enunciated it. The way Dojima's Shadow had described Yosuke's reaction to the bodiless voices in the TV world yesterday.

"Don't…" Souji couldn't stop himself now. Clouds swallowed the sunlight that had gently filtered in through the kitchen window, casting a shadow into the room.

"Souji, didn't I say I wasn't going to hurt you?"

_Souji_.

It was something about the way Adachi spoke, the way he had said his name. A bristling chill bloomed in Souji's chest, spreading its tendrils twisting along his spine. Too paralyzed to move, he squeezed his eyes shut and felt the breath in his lungs begin to stale.

"Adachi? What are you doing here?"

The hands that had migrated to his neck tensed briefly before sliding away and Souji was finally able to breathe again. What the hell had just happened?

"Dojima-san! I was worried about you so I thought I'd swing by and bring you an old-fashioned cure."

Souji finally turned to see his uncle standing there, near the stairs, wearing his long black bathrobe and an expression of stern confusion. His eyes were fixed on Adachi.

"Ahaha. Well, I didn't know your nephew was sick, too, or I would've brought more. But it seems like Nana-chan beat me to it anyway."

Dojima carefully broke his gaze away to look at Souji. Though it only lasted an instant, Souji could tell that look was still filled with remorse and deep concern. And, something else?

"Um, thanks, but you'd better get back to work now," Dojima said and began to walk meaningfully toward the front door. "Tell them I'll be in tomorrow at the latest would ya?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sure thing." Adachi replied. Once Dojima had disappeared into the hallway, he turned back to Souji, who watched him with a certain degree of panic. "Well. Take care of yourself." He smiled as if he hadn't recognized Souji's trepidation and moved to join Dojima.

Once the door had opened and shut again, Souji tensed all over again. Shit. He still wasn't ready. But ready or not, they had to resolve this. He took a deep breath. Whatever the case, however their words might be exchanged, they had to put aside what had happened and come together to fight this thing.

The black-clad man reemerged and entered the kitchen area, clearly having composed himself a moment ago. He picked up his cigarettes from the table and lit one. When he spoke he didn't hesitate. "Sit down. We need to talk."

Souji obeyed, mentally preparing himself. He would talk now. Reveal their secret about the TV world. The nature of the Shadows. The connection between the victims. Today was the day he would tell Dojima everything. Adrenaline moved through his veins. But he didn't even get the first word in.

Dojima had looked at him, levelly for a moment, before the smoke pluming from the man's mouth and nostrils clouded the space between them. When he spoke it was clear there was no room for arguments.

"I think it would be better for both of us if you didn't live here anymore."


	9. Chapter 9

Yosuke glared up at the clock for what seemed like the fiftieth time that morning, hating himself all over again for even bothering to show up at school. What the hell had he been thinking? Dragging his limbs out of bed that morning had been a feat akin to hauling around cinder blocks, but the hope of seeing Souji motivated him enough to get him there. Naturally, and as his luck would have it, Souji hadn't even shown up. He didn't know why he thought his friend would come in the first place. Not after all that had happened. But then again, he wondered what that said about himself...

And seriously, had time actually stopped or what?

He watched the rain patter against the windows for a while, but that quickly bored him. A sharp sigh escaped his nose and Chie turned to cast a curious glance in his direction. He wanted to flip her off. She'd been doing that all day and it was starting to annoy him. Just as soon as he felt that compulsion, however, he was sorry for it. After all, practically everyone had been staring at him at some point. Or more accurately, staring at the scabbing cut on his lip and the bluish purple bruise cushioning it. He had even gone to the extent of pondering stealing some of his mother's makeup foundation that morning, and very nearly regretted not going through with it. Still, it was a bit strange that no one other than Chie and Yukiko had actually asked him about it. He knew the excuse he supplied for them was completely lame—turning around without paying attention and smacking dead-on into a rack in Junes—because it was pretty obvious he had been slugged in the face, but neither rebutted.

Everyone else had his or her own rather imaginative ways of figuring it out during homeroom that morning. Though he had mostly caught snatches in whispers, he inwardly fumed just as if they had been shouting. Discretion was not a word in his classmates' vocabulary.

"_Hey, check out Hanamura's face. And don't you think it's kinda weird that Seta's not here today?"_

"_What, you think they got into a fight?"_

"_I dunno. Maybe Hanamura finally tried to put the moves on Seta and got smacked for it. Haha!"_

"_Ehhh? No way!"_

Yosuke cringed at the recollection and quickly pushed it from his line of thought. They were all just looking for an excuse to gossip anyway. He knew he shouldn't waste his energy worrying about them when he should be worried over someone that mattered.

He snuck his cell phone out of his pocket for the second time in the last ten minutes and discreetly flipped it open to see if Souji had called. Nothing. Not that he should have been surprised, as his phone was set to vibrate. He had left a couple of messages and hoped that Souji had got them. His phone was clearly on; it had rung several times before Souji's bored but pleasant voicemail picked up. He wanted to hear that voice again right now, even if it didn't cheer him up much. He would just have to endure until lunch break to try calling again.

Just as he shoved his phone back into his pocket, however, the thing buzzed angrily against his thigh. Yosuke gripped it, startled, and pulled it out again. He had already guessed at who was on the other end, but seeing Souji's name on the screen made his heart skip a beat anyway. He was certain something was wrong. Still clutching the phone in his pocket, he raised his arm into the air.

"Yes, Hana-chan?" Mr. Hosoi gestured in his direction with his hand puppet.

"Um, can I use the restroom?" Yosuke asked and lowered his arm.

"Well sure, but hurry on back. We're discussing the rebels next." The puppet nodded in affirmation.

Yosuke stood and swiftly fled toward the rear door, feeling all eyes turned and locked like crosshairs on his retreating form. By the time he had the classroom door shut behind him, his phone was no longer animate. Wandering slowly down the hall, he speed-dialed Souji's number.

"Souji!" he blurted as soon as the ringing on the other end ceased.

"Oh, hey." The voice greeting him sounded drained. "You in school?"

Yosuke felt his brow stiffen when he had to strain to hear his friend's reply. There was just a quality too unnaturally controlled, too restrained about it. Something was definitely amiss.

Yosuke didn't want to waste time with chitchat. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

A short pause on the other end tormented him. Souji was obviously pondering how to answer those questions. When he replied, it clearly hadn't been what he wanted to say: "There's nowhere I can go. I…can you come meet me?"

Yosuke knew he could stand here all day trying to wring more information from his friend, but that would probably turn up fruitless in the end. He'd rather see Souji face-to-face right now anyway. "Where are you?"

"The gazebo."

"Okay, hang tight. I'll jet as soon as lit class gets out, k?"

"Mmm."

There was a soft click followed by heavy silence and Yosuke clung to the severed connection for a moment longer, the empty hum dense in his ear. Finally, with a deep breath of resolve, he closed his phone and returned to class.

By the time the bell signaled the hour's end, Yosuke was riled up and ready to escape. He had stuffed his blank notebook away early and his hand lingered on his bag's strap in anticipation as he thought about the best route to take without being caught by anyone on the faculty. If he went over to the practice building and exited through the back he should be okay. He had seen other kids doing the same in order to sneak smokes or flee assemblies, and they were rarely apprehended.

A feminine voice barked his name before he could make it to the side stairwell. He turned and saw Chie striding purposefully toward him, a scowl on her face.

"What is it? I gotta go." Yosuke complained, still edging toward the stairs.

"Will you please tell me what's going on? You're acting like you're practically deranged." Chie crossed her arms expectantly.

"Uh, later." Yosuke broke away and launched himself down the stairs, Chie's indignant protests streaming after.

His plan had succeeded; no one bothered paying him much mind as he jogged through the halls and subsequently disappeared from school grounds. A few had thrown curious glances—probably making mental notes for later gossip mongering—but he ignored them. By the time he reached the flood plain the rain had slowed to a light drizzle.

Pausing to catch his breath, he spied a familiar form sitting hunched over beneath the gazebo roof. Yosuke instinctively broke back into a run, but as he closed the distance and his friend's lifeless expression came into sharper focus, his energy curbed. Souji's face was pale and gaunt, as if he hadn't taken in food or rest for days. Even his lips looked dry and bloodless above that awful Junes t-shirt Yosuke remembered regifting some time ago with a tinge of embarrassment. Souji was usually a fairly sharp dresser, even on his days off. Seeing him in a state completely lacking in fashion sense reaffirmed Yosuke's fears. It was clear that Souji had been wandering in the rain without an umbrella as well; his hair hung in damp tendrils and his clothes were practically soaked through.

Not bothering to wait for his friend to initiate their conversation, Yosuke dropped his umbrella next to the table and sat down as close as he could with minimal threat of making Souji uncomfortable.

"What's happened?" Though the urge seized him, Yosuke resisted the temptation to clasp Souji's hand.

Souji didn't turn his head to look at his companion when he spoke. "I was kicked out." His voice was hollow, numb.

"Kicked out? What do you mean?"

"He said…he said it was better if we spent time away from each other. That he couldn't trust himself around me anymore." Souji lifted his eyes to Yosuke's. "I couldn't tell him _anything_! He wouldn't even listen!"

The quavering in Souji's voice prompted Yosuke's arms into action, spectators be damned. He reached out and pulled Souji into his body, folding his arms protectively around the other boy's back. The rainwater in Souji's hair seeped through his shirt, but he couldn't have cared less. Though he was relieved when Souji didn't pull away, anger churned in his gut.

"It's hardly your fault. He must be out of his mind," Yosuke mumbled.

"I mean, he said it wasn't a permanent thing, but…shit! I just didn't know who else to call."

Yosuke shook his head in an attempt to quell his indignation. "Don't worry. You can stay with me." Though Souji shivered from the chill, his breath came out in short, hot bursts against Yosuke's chest, worming in through the thin cotton of his uniform shirt.

"Sorry. Just 'til all this gets resolved."

Souji's voice rumbled gently against his skin, and something fluttered in Yosuke's stomach at the sensation. As if that wasn't bad enough, the feeling stretched downward until he felt its lazy fingers tentatively prod at his cock. Shit. If Souji knew he was getting aroused at this decidedly inappropriate moment there would be no hope of making up for his shame. He reluctantly pushed his friend away and stood up.

"Come on, you're soaked." Did Souji look hurt for a second there, or was he imagining it?

The silver-haired boy nodded and stood as well. "Okay."

Sharing Yosuke's umbrella, the two set off for the Hanamura residence. Yosuke was almost glad his parents would be away at work most of the day; he wasn't sure how he'd explain his friend's state to them should they be home. And then there was the part where he'd have to convince them that another of his friends would be temporarily moving in. Hell, talking them into accepting Teddie as a new member of the household had been hard enough (room and board in return for bringing in free publicity as a mascot for Junes seemed to clinch the deal in his father's eyes, however). Getting Souji freshened up and fed would be a good starting point, though.

Teddie sat immersed in a small pile of pillows on the floor in front of the television, a mug of hot cocoa in hand, when the two boys entered the house. Seeing those curious blue eyes turn and silently stare at them made Yosuke realize they wouldn't be able to hide what had happened any longer. He could bullshit a convincing excuse for his parents, but there was no way Teddie would play that game any more. Especially when Souji trailed in behind him in such a pathetic state. During school hours no less.

Yosuke didn't let Teddie speak. "Hey, Ted, I'm gonna go run a bath. Would you mind making two more of those?" He gestured toward Teddie's mug.

Teddie nodded wordlessly and watched the boys file up the stairs.

Once they reached the bathroom and Yosuke had the tub water going, Souji laughed weakly. "He looked pretty shocked. Guess I can't blame him."

"Don't worry about that." Yosuke adjusted the water's temperature and straightened to face his friend. He immediately regretted allowing his eyes to linger on the hard nubs of Souji's nipples, which were clearly visible beneath the cold wet shirt stretched over the boy's chest. Images of Souji's face ensnared in the grip of ecstasy flashed through his mind's eye. He blinked and looked away, abashed. "Uh, the bath'll be ready soon. I'll go check on that hot chocolate."

Yosuke fled past Souji, who stepped back in nothing less than surprise, and quickly closed the door behind him. Once out in the hallway, Yosuke rested a hand on the wall and leaned his weight against it. He knew Souji was stripping on the other side of that wall, and his heart accelerated at the thought. What in the hell was getting into him? The last thing he should've been imagining at a time like this was…well, _that_. He knew it wasn't right, but that didn't stop his blood from flooding to all the wrong places.

Lifting himself from the wall, he smacked the heel of his hand against his forehead several times and tried to replace the sordid images with something less savory in order to get his body under control. The ghost of Souji curled up in tears, spent and bleeding on the floor, came unbidden into his mind next. Much to his horror, Yosuke realized he had only grown harder.

Rounding hastily, he retreated to his room. He frantically dug through the garments in his closet until his old, oversized hoodie came into view. Tearing it from the hanger and slinging it on, he thanked whatever happened to be listening that he hadn't thrown it out with the family's last spring-cleaning.

Downstairs, Teddie busied himself stirring the mugs requested of him. Once Yosuke emerged next to him, he set the spoon down and handed them over handle-first. Yosuke met the meaningful, though strangely disapproving, look in Teddie's eyes and offered a sheepish smile.

"Thanks."

"Yosuke—" Teddie began, but apparently thought better of what he had planned on saying and cut himself off.

Yosuke didn't need to hear it to understand. "Tonight. I swear."

Teddie nodded and retreated back to his spot in front of the TV. Yosuke watched him go, almost hating himself for making Teddie worry for this long as it was. He knew the quiet, controlled behavior that Teddie exhibited was completely uncustomary. But he could really only blame himself for that.

Sighing, Yosuke made his way back up the stairs. After carefully setting the scalding cup in his right hand on the floor, he knocked against bathroom door. When Souji called out permission to enter, Yosuke realized he was somewhat nervous of taking it. Still, it wasn't like he could run away now. He opened the door a crack and retrieved the mug before pushing his way in. The room was already steaming up.

Souji looked up from his reclining position in the tub and smiled faintly. Yosuke felt his mouth clap shut as he looked away, not allowing his eyes more than a second to grope his vulnerable friend this time. But apparently a second was all he needed. He hadn't even realized his jaw was agape to begin with. Not good.

"What are you wearing that big ugly thing for?" Souji asked and reached to take the mug Yosuke had clumsily set on the tub's edge. "It's not _that_ cold."

Yosuke shrugged and set his own cup on the sink. "Well _I'm_ cold." He hadn't meant for his voice to come out that defensively.

Souji caught it anyway. "Oh. Sorry."

Hearing that apology sent a mixture of pity and anger through his blood, though Yosuke wasn't certain why. He suddenly felt both hot and foolish wearing that jacket in the warm room. "Tch. You don't have to apologize."

"Um, thanks. For the cocoa."

Yosuke wasn't sure how the atmosphere became so tense in such a short period of time, but he was not enjoying it. "No problem." He moved toward the door again. "There are clean towels in the far right cupboard. Make yourself at home."

"Yosuke."

The sound of his name melded with a plea for him to stay halted his feet. "Yeah?" He turned and saw Souji looking at him, a faint blush on the kid's cheeks.

Souji averted his eyes. "Can we talk? I just…don't really want to be alone right now."

Yosuke felt a sobering stab of guilt slice through his stomach. Why was he trying to run out on his best friend? Souji had recently become homeless, among other things, and here he was behaving like a selfish prick.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." He returned deeper into the room and took a seat on the toilet lid. He hoped Souji would speak, because at the moment he suffered a loss for words.

Luckily Souji complied, but he was suddenly dead serious. "Can I ask you something? It's kinda embarrassing, but it's been bothering me. I think I just need to know for sure."

Yosuke looked perturbed but assented.

Souji stared into his cup as he spoke. "I don't think you remember, but something happened yesterday while you were out cold." He glanced up and saw the uncomfortable confusion written on Yosuke's face, suddenly not sure of how to enunciate his next question. His eyes returned to the foam clinging to the inner edges of the cup and he decided to just blurt it out. "When the Shadow touched you, you called out my name."

Yosuke stiffened. "W-what do you mean?"

Souji ignored his question. "And then, there's just the _way_ you act around me sometimes."

Yosuke already guessed at what Souji was aiming for, and his face heated up considerably.

"Is there…a chance that you like me?"

Oh no. Had he been that obvious? Yosuke felt panic licking at the edges of his senses and he couldn't bring himself to face his friend anymore. It had grown unbearably hot in that suddenly-too-small room. Souji continued all the same, though Yosuke was only prepared for something other than what left his friend's mouth next.

"Because I think I feel the same way about you."


	10. Chapter 10

Yosuke lifted his head then. He could only watch Souji in hesitant wonder, like a man dying from thirst and questioning whether he had stumbled upon an oasis or simply stood before another mirage. Souji, for his part, was able to take only so much of that uncertain stare for so long before his own consternation caught up with him, and he found something far more interesting to look at in the water near his feet.

"Oh, I…didn't mean to say it like that. I only meant that…shit. Sorry…" He set the cooling mug back down on the tub's ledge and made a move to pull the plug from the drain. "Would you mind handing me a towel?"

Yosuke, seeing his friend preparing to flee the scene, suddenly stood. Souji looked up at him, curiosity rewriting the abjection on his face.

"Y-yeah. I think I do, too. Like you, I mean." Yosuke fidgeted with the zipper on his overly accommodating jacket, not looking at the object of his confession.

"Yosuke…" Souji stayed his hand and watched his friend steadily. The silence bloated.

A drop of water lingering on the tap's underside broke free and dropped into the pool below, cracking the stillness. Yosuke looked back up then, and suddenly he was moving with nothing short of purpose toward the tub's edge. He fell to his knees and stretched his arms out to take Souji into an embrace born of both passion and relief.

Souji knew what was about to happen. He knew, somewhere in his mind, that it was a harmless gesture. A reaction of affection newly discovered to be requited. But seeing Yosuke come at him with even a shred of intent was enough to kick his instinctual terror back into control. He shied away violently, his shoulders knocking hard into the shower wall and his face scrunched in anticipation of something painful as water sloshed from the tub.

Seeing Souji turning his head away in fear like that made Yosuke go rigid. He had envisioned sharing some romantically deluded kiss fit for a storybook and, in a cloud of his own selfish desire, had managed to filter from his head the fact that Souji was still suffering a heavy trauma.

But what, exactly, did he even feel? A sense of hollowness? Resentment that didn't balance with the weight of what had been done to his own body? Maybe even some faint, sick pleasure at seeing his friend forced to submit like that? No, absolutely not that. That particular thought was far too perversely horrible; it had to be some byproduct of his own paranoid confusion.

His arms froze as he stared in shock at his friend, but the sensation of warm water seeping through his pants at the knees eventually pulled his mind back to reality. He quickly yanked his arms back to his sides and slouched. Feeling like an absolute idiot, among other things, he lowered his head.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Yosuke began to bite his lip; terrified he had already managed to fuck everything up.

Breathing deep, Souji forced himself to calm down. He couldn't see Yosuke's face, but could practically sense the dejection marring his friend's features.

"N-no, it's not your fault. I just…need some time, you know?"

"Yeah. I know."

* * *

That evening, after a meal of over-peppered, undercooked macaroni and cheese à la Yosuke, Souji sat in a clean set of borrowed clothes with Teddie on the floor of Yosuke's room, a deck of cards between them. Yosuke was downstairs entreating his parents, who had arrived home from work late and tired, on Souji's behalf. He had insisted it was better if he talked to them alone. Besides, he didn't want to subject Souji to any more stress than was needed. Even within that little favor, Souji found relief.

"Got any fives?" Souji asked, rearranging his hand of cards. When he wasn't met with a response, he looked up and watched Teddie fidget absentmindedly with one card's bent corner. "Teddie?"

The addressed looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"Fives."

Teddie looked down at his cards as if he hadn't realized they were nestled in his hands to begin with. Selecting one from the group, he forfeited it to Souji.

Souji took the card, studying Teddie's restless face. "Are you bored? Wanna quit?"

Teddie shrugged and slouched, and that was all the indication Souji needed. He set his cards down on the table and began to dig a cautious fingernail beneath that of his thumb instead. He sighed. "I know Yosuke was gonna tell you all of this, but maybe now's a good time instead."

Teddie set his cards down as well, fixing his full attention on the boy in front of him.

Souji took that as an indication to continue. "Well, it's kinda hard to explain. But bear with me."

Teddie sensed his friend's deep reluctance and scooted around the table until he sat next to Souji. "I want to help, Sensei. Any way I can, you know I will." He rested a hand on Souji's knee.

When he realized he had managed to not jump at the contact, Souji actually did feel a little better. He knew he shouldn't be afraid to tell the story to Teddie, who wasn't even from this realm. If anything, Teddie was probably the one with the least likely chance out of everyone he knew to harbor preconceived judgments or carry a tendency to attach stigmas. In a way, he took some small comfort from that. Besides, Teddie was there that night. He deserved to know.

"Human emotions are really complicated. But I'm sure you've discovered that on your own," Souji began. He didn't need to look at Teddie to know that he was nodding. "Well, my uncle wasn't an exception. His Shadow got the better of him for a while. Yosuke and I…we were attacked."

"You couldn't fight? But you two are the strongest people I know."

Souji could feel his hands begin to sweat. "Well, it was in a different way than what you're thinking."

"What do you mean?"

Souji covered his eyes with his fingers. "Teddie, please promise me again that you'll keep all of this a secret."

"Of course I promise. I already said I would."

Souji nodded and moved his hand away, but kept his eyes closed. "Okay." Not knowing how to better proceed, he droned a brief, textbook-like summary of what unhealthy sexual repression can lead to before he paused to look for his next words. What he hadn't expected was Teddie to pipe in immediately afterward and save him that discomfort.

"Oh! I think I understand. I've seen lots of Shadows in my world that smell kinda like that."

Souji couldn't help snorting at the strange way that sounded, even though he was used to Teddie's jargon.

But Teddie continued unfazed. "Traveling with you guys has helped me realize certain things about them, and about humans, too. Kanji, Yukiko _and_ Rise. They all had buried feelings like that, because it was a part of their Shadows. After all that, I feel like I understand a lot more than I did. Like it all kinda came together."

"I'm glad for that, Teddie."

"But, that doesn't really explain what was different about this time."

Souji took a deep breath. He chose his next words carefully, describing to Teddie in the manner of an adult speaking to a maturing child that what happened among them that night wasn't consensual. About Dojima's guilt as a result, and the reason he was staying with them that night.

Teddie appeared thoughtful. "So, that kind of thing between humans is pretty scary, isn't it? I hope I never experience it."

"It's not supposed to be that way. It's different between people who love each other." Souji began to tire, and had no real desire to carry the conversation much further. Still, he was almost grateful that Yosuke wasn't in the room after all. If he had even once imagined he would ever be in this situation, explaining the psychological facets of human sexuality to Teddie, he would have doubled over in hysterical laughter. Now that he had made this bed, however, he was beginning to find it a very uncomfortable place to lie down.

Teddie pursed his lips in deep thought. "Hmm. But, I think I love all of you guys. Does that mean—"

"That's _different_, Teddie," Souji broke in, not wanting to even entertain mental images of whatever Teddie was about to say.

The door suddenly creaked open and Yosuke stepped in, eyeing the two of them. His mouth turned down slightly at the corners when he saw Teddie sitting with his shoulder actually touching Souji's, and it appeared they had been that way for a while. Remembering the way Souji objected to being touched not long ago, he paused before shutting the door behind him.

"Am I interrupting something?" He had meant for that to come off in a laughable manner, but its delivery betrayed a slice of jealousy. Souji looked up at him as if he couldn't believe those words had just passed his lips, and Yosuke forced his frown away to reinforce assurance that he hadn't meant it.

Teddie, on the other hand, shook his head rather naively. "Don't worry. Sensei just told me what happened."

"Oh." Yosuke wasn't sure what else to say at the moment. Though he had every intention of letting Teddie know, something in his gut tightened with the absolute fact of someone else knowing all the same. He moved deeper into the room and took a seat on his bed's edge.

"Well? What did your parents say?" Souji finally asked, seeing that Yosuke had misplaced the reason for his absence in the first place and brooded on something else entirely.

"Oh, right," Yosuke glanced at his friends as if he had forgotten they existed. "My dad was a hard sale, but Mom was actually pretty cool with it." He shrugged. "It was weird; I didn't even have to argue with her. She's the one who pretty much convinced Dad for me. But yeah, she said you're welcome for as long as you want."

"Thanks," Souji smiled thinly, feeling like an inconvenience.

"That's great news, huh, Sensei?" Teddie cried with jarring jubilance. "It'll be like a sleepover again! But just us boys."

"No, it won't, Ted," Yosuke corrected with a wave of his finger. "You've got your own room, remember? And hey, speaking of which, isn't it about your bedtime?"

Teddie looked dismayed. "Geez, Yosuke. Way to kill the mood."

Yosuke glared at him. "What mood? You're the only one acting like a little kid about all this."

Souji's smile grew more genuine as he listened to his friends argue. It felt like an eternity had passed since he had been in an amusing situation like this—something that used to be commonplace. He realized he had been taking them for granted.

"Tell you what," Souji joined in, "_I'll_ take your room and you can sleep with Yosuke." The gaping expression on the blonde kid's face was enough to actually make him laugh.

"C-come on now, Souji," Yosuke whined, catching his friend's improved mood like a contagion and running with it. "You wouldn't really stick me with someone who snores like a rusty chainsaw would you? I'm begging you, please don't do it!"

"Oh, the nerve! I assure you I do _not_ snore!" Teddie yelled and stood up, hands firmly planted on his angled hips with a true aristocratic flair.

"Riiiiight. That's just an earthquake shaking the entire house around the same time every night."

Teddie lunged at Yosuke, who pulled a pillow to his body like flimsy armor and shrieked in such a ridiculous manner that Souji thought his stomach would cramp up from laughing. It felt good to have a distraction like this, and he didn't want it to end. But it would end, the same way all illusions fade into the background for a more unforgiving reality. He knew that. Even still, he would enjoy the few scraps that fate tossed out to him while he could.

Once Teddie had retired to his room—or what had previously been the Hanamura guestroom—and Yosuke had laid out the last of the blankets meticulously upon the floor next to his own bed, Souji actually began to feel tired enough to sleep.

"You're sure you don't mind the floor?" Yosuke asked for the third time as he smoothed out an upturned blanket corner.

"It's fine. Really," Souji assured him.

"The couch downstairs seems nice and all, but it's a real bitch in the morning. Your back'll hurt for days."

Souji watched Yosuke continue to fuss. "I told you, it's cool. Would you stop that already?"

"Oh, yeah." Yosuke stopped what he was doing and looked embarrassed. "Well, guess we should hit the hay."

Souji nodded. "Mm."

Yosuke climbed into his bed and situated himself beneath the blankets. Once assured that Souji had done the same, he switched off his bedside lamp.

"'Night, Partner," Yosuke said in the midst of a wracking yawn.

"Goodnight."

Yosuke stared at the dark ceiling for some time, listening to the clock tick the seconds away. He thought he had been tired before, but each of those seconds eventually seemed to stretch thinner and thinner until he imagined he could fit an eternity between them. He reached up and rubbed a hand over his eyes, wishing he had a switch to make his brain shut off. Finally, thumping his arm back down at his side, he exhaled loudly and rolled over to face Souji's direction.

"You sure you're comfortable? I still feel kinda bad."

Souji snorted softly. "You know, you really do sound like a mom, Yosuke. Go to sleep already."

"Heh. Well, um, if you change your mind you can sleep up here. I mean, if you start to cramp up or something. I won't toss or anything. Er…" Though Yosuke wished it possible to unsay things on a near-daily basis, he wanted that ability now more than ever. "You know what I mean."

Souji's quiet, amused chuckling met his ears but the boy didn't reply. Yosuke figured Souji's mind was hardly as prone to spend as much time in the gutter as his own, but it was too late now. His face warmed and he was glad for the darkness. He flipped over to the other side of the bed and clamped his eyes shut, forcing images of white sheep to jump hurdles in his mind. After a few minutes, the whirring in his brain slowed and began to gray as sleep's first dusty breath descended over him.

He had barely registered the slight incline of the mattress as another body crawled beneath the blanket next to him. But his body responded to the new warmth emitting over his back, and he turned to face it. Sensing solid flesh there finally registered in his head, and his drowsiness dissolved. Yosuke opened his eyes and saw, even in the dark of the bedroom, Souji curled up on his side there before him. He studied the way his friend's head lay tucked down near his chest, Souji's arms braced beneath his head under the pillow.

Yosuke didn't move, he simply watched. He wasn't sure how long Souji had been lying there, but he seemed to be asleep now. A sudden, powerful urge to touch him seized Yosuke like blind impulsion and he reached his hand out. Pinching a small bit of Souji's hair between his thumb and forefinger as gingerly as he could, Yosuke tested its texture with approval. He had often wanted to know what that hair felt like, but now that he was able to find out, he felt a bit guilty for some reason. It wasn't as if he was leaning in to steal a kiss or anything. How stereotypical could a guy get?

That particular shift of thought made Yosuke swallow thickly and his gaze automatically redirected to Souji's closed lips. His tongue darted out instinctively to wet his lower lip and he wondered just what in the hell he was thinking. Was he actually considering it? No, he couldn't. That internal declaration didn't stop his pulse from speeding up, however. Nor did it stop his heart from practically stopping when Souji shifted his head to look up at him. Even though it was difficult to see clearly, he knew their eyes had met. He wondered if Souji could feel the beating of his heart through the mattress.

He swallowed again, more dryly this time. Souji was still looking at him, like he awaited something. Yosuke parted his lips uncertainly and adjusted his hips to drag his body a bit closer to Souji's. Seeing that Souji wasn't backing away, he reached out an arm, curling his fingers around the back of Souji's head, through that fine hair. He brought his face in close, closer. Still no resistance. He felt encouraged to finish the job.

He was deft, careful, like the handler of a paper-thin China cup full of scalding hot tea. The reward was chaste, but deeply satisfying. Still, the touch of Souji's lips against his was better than he had imagined it would be. Yosuke initiated movement, but hardly dared to open his mouth. Souji did it for him. Yosuke had stopped breathing when he felt Souji's tongue slide hesitantly over his lips, but he readily complied by allowing that rover access.

Pulling his body in closer, feeling Souji's curves and angles pressed up against him, Yosuke couldn't help responding. Their cocks, though not quite touching, were so close that Yosuke had to suppress the urge to shift closer and start grinding. That and Souji's tongue massaging his own were all the stimulation he needed to become fully aroused. Yosuke could feel himself getting harder and he intensified their kiss. Souji's tongue paused for a moment, but resumed when Yosuke sucked lightly on his lower lip. They stayed that way for some time, exploring every inch of each other's mouths.

The heat between them had been mounting, but it rose to the point where Yosuke suddenly wanted nothing more than to strip off his t-shirt before setting to work on all of Souji's clothes. His cock ached to be touched, and though he had been refraining from finding out whether Souji's shared a similar state, he found he couldn't wait much longer. He sat up slightly to lean over Souji, his right hand snaking out beneath the pillow. Finding Souji's hands, he closed his fingers over those wrists. His left hand was strangely steady as it reached out to grope between Souji's thighs. Once his eager fingers found their destination, just as smooth and hard as he remembered feeling it that night, Souji jerked away completely.

"N-no."

That one, simple word sent Yosuke's euphoria crashing down and he pulled his hands away as if he had set them on a red-hot burner.

"I can't…"

He could feel Souji shaking, even though they were no longer touching. He wanted to apologize, say anything to comfort his friend's desperate unease, but the words wouldn't surface. Instead, he backed away and sat up. Allowing himself a few seconds to get his bearings back, he exited the bed and made his way to the door.

"Yosuke, you don't have to—"

He could hear Souji shifting to face him, but he didn't stop. "No. I'll go sleep on the couch."

Yosuke had the door opened and shut with him on the other side before he could fully comprehend what had even just happened. The nightlight in the hallway outlet led him toward the stairway, and he was relieved to find that Souji hadn't followed. Once he passed the bathroom door, however, his feet stopped.

Yosuke fought to catch his breath, to calm down, but no matter how much he concentrated he somehow knew this wasn't just going to go away. Rerouting, he shut himself inside the bathroom, locking the door and switching on the light. It hurt his eyes, and he shut them against the glare immediately, not bothering to open them as he leaned against the door and reached into his pajama bottoms. Grasping his achingly stiff cock, he began his work right away, pulling just the way he liked it. Hard but not too rough, he stroked himself with a firm, steady pressure guaranteed to get him off quick. He felt sick. What the fuck was he doing?

Still, he continued. He had been so thoroughly turned on not moments ago that it didn't take long for his peak to come around. Gritting his teeth, Yosuke pumped the tip of his erection with fervor until his orgasm came. He shuddered as hot semen drizzled down his fist, seeping between his fingers, and he breathed in deep to compose himself. It wasn't intense, or even very good at all, but it was enough to sate his body. Maybe now he would even be able to get back to sleep.

Finally opening his eyes, he yanked a wad of tissues from the box on the counter and wiped the sticky mess away before flushing the evidence down the toilet. Moving to rinse his hands off, he caught his reflection in the mirror and quickly averted his gaze. He hadn't felt guilty for masturbating since he was a kid. It was like those times all over again, but for far different reasons.

Escaping the bathroom, he made his way carefully downstairs before flopping onto the living room sofa. His eyes burned as if he had been holding in tears for far too long. But he wouldn't cry. Allowing himself that sort of empty self-pity was unthinkable at this point. He shifted, burying his face in the cushions.

Souji had trusted him. Given himself over to that desire Yosuke had wanted to illustrate at the bathtub's edge earlier that day. But in the end, he wasn't worthy of caring for that trust. Perhaps he was only capable of profaning things he should've revered as fragile and sacred.

Yosuke clenched his teeth and curled into a fetal position. Despite the horrible things he had seen in the TV world that fateful night, the things he had _been through_, he had never felt more disgusted than he did at that moment.


	11. Chapter 11

Souji awoke, still groggy, in an unfamiliar bed. He shot up, looking around in frantic confusion before the settings became familiar. Right, Yosuke's room. Which meant…

He turned and sought the alarm clock at the bed's side. Seven o'clock. School would be starting in about an hour and a half, but Yosuke was probably still asleep on the sofa downstairs. Souji flumped back down against the pillow and shut his eyes, realizing he was going to have to just bite the bullet and return to classes. The idea, though initially unappealing, began to seem less of a chore the more he thought on it. Getting back into the normal routine might even be somewhat therapeutic.

He attempted to dwell on the subject, but the more he tried the more his mind broke free and wandered off, and it wasn't long before he daydreamed over what had happened the night before. He could still almost feel Yosuke's mouth on his, inside his, with the memory. That in itself was not an unpleasant feeling. His body's reactions had attested to that last night. But the second he felt Yosuke touch him _there_, the fear returned on an ugly scale. It wasn't that he wasn't into it; he wanted to be with Yosuke—and if there was anything that guy could do well it would definitely be kissing—but the idea of actually having sex made him physically ill. The last thing he wanted to do was vomit in Yosuke's bed, or worse, his mouth.

Though sure that Yosuke of all people would have understood, after seeing him run out like that, Souji wondered if he had in fact done something wrong. He didn't think he could handle the thought of Yosuke being upset with him.

Realizing he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, Souji got out of bed and left the room. Out in the hall it seemed the entire house was still, but he caught the bitter aroma of coffee hanging in the air. The scent, though inviting, inevitably made him think about his uncle. He wondered how Nanako was doing, about what her father would have told her to cover for his absence. Souji found that he actually missed her quite a bit as he descended to the first floor.

A light shined from the kitchen and he heard the rustle of newspaper pages turning. Souji wandered toward the signs of life and was immediately greeted by the sight of Yosuke's mother standing at the stove. She wore a short peach-colored bathrobe that revealed a pair of shiny smooth legs, and her hair was bound in curlers. She was thin and attractive for an older woman; he had only met her once before, but hadn't forgotten how much Yosuke derived his looks from her genes.

"Oh! Good morning, Souji," she chirped upon catching sight of him. "Nice to see you again. Would you like some coffee?" She flashed a bleached smile in his direction.

"Uh, yes. Please."

Souji noticed then that she wasn't alone in the room. Yosuke sat at the dining table, facing the other way. His auburn hair poked over the top of the chair in a jumble of strands and static. Souji hesitated for a moment, but moved to sit opposite him.

Though he hadn't turned before, Yosuke looked up at Souji from the top of the newspaper in his hands. "Yo."

"Hey."

Mrs. Hanamura set a full cup, pale and frothy, in front of Souji. "I took you for a cream and sugar man. I have a sense for these things. Is it alright?"

Souji took a careful sip. The coffee was sweet enough to rot his teeth right there.

"Just fine. Thanks." He smiled up at her. From the corner of his eye he caught Yosuke throw a glance at him, but couldn't catch its meaning.

The woman practically beamed. "Ha! I knew it. But strapping boys need more than coffee for breakfast. I was just about to make some French toast?"

"Oh, no thanks. Breakfast doesn't agree with my stomach first thing in the morning."

She moved to ruffle Yosuke's hair. "This one's the same way. Feed him as soon as he wakes up and you'll never get him out of the bathroom."

"Mom!" Yosuke balked and jerked his head away from her hand.

She shrugged and sauntered with a perceptible sway of the hips back toward the stove.

Souji eyed the newspaper and grabbed the front page, quickly scanning its contents. No gruesome murders. No new disappearances. Nothing interesting at all it seemed. Good. He could use a boringly eventless day.

"So your uncle is Ryotaro Dojima, yeah?" Mrs. Hanamura called from the cacophony of butter and toast sizzling on a hot skillet. "He's the lead investigator for all those serial killings, isn't he?"

Souji half-turned to face her, hoping she wouldn't bring up the subject of why he was thrown out. Or had Yosuke mentioned that part? "Yes. And yes."

"Gawd, that must be tough work. I thought I had it bad. But then again men _should_ work hard." She scraped the toast from the pan and flipped it onto a plate before moving to join the boys at the table. She took a seat next to Souji and scooted her chair a bit closer to his.

"I've seen him a few times with that cute little girl at Junes. He's sure a handsome guy. Fit, too. I tell you, if I wasn't married—"

"Mother, _please_?" Yosuke's tone was all business. He eyed her warily.

Mrs. Hanamura shrugged. "What? I'm just saying. You should hear the other women at work talk." Her hand fell on Souji's arm and she leaned in close as if to share some juicy secret. "That's how I get the most interesting information, you know." She giggled and straightened to begin on her breakfast.

After a moment she continued. "Shame about his wife. But how long has it been? He seems like the dark, brooding sort, but I'm kinda surprised he's not out there playing the field."

She paused as if waiting for a reply, but Souji remained clueless about what to say.

Yosuke tossed him a ring with an attempt to change the subject. "Don't mind her. She's one of those energetic morning freaks."

"Oh, what a mouth," she teased, but clearly hadn't tired of her train of thought. "But seriously, Souji, tell me what he's _really_ like. Y'know, just out of curiosity. Some of the ladies are dying to know."

"No. Don't answer her." Yosuke had steadily grown annoyed.

Mrs. Hanamura looked at her son in aggravation, but he didn't wither.

"I keep telling you. It's not good to get involved in town rumors," he lectured her. "That kind of crap only makes you look stupid in the end."

"Holy crows, what's gotten into _you_ this morning?" she shot.

"Forget it. C'mon, Souji. We should leave early so we can pick up your uniform." Yosuke stood in a huff and exited the room.

Souji stood in turn and mumbled another thank-you to the startled woman before chasing Yosuke up the stairs.

"Hey, your father's got the night shift so don't wake him up!" she yelled after them.

Yosuke slapped his door wide from its cracked position. "God! She really knows how to piss me off sometimes." He rummaged through his closet and started to pull on his school uniform.

Souji watched him in silence for a while before finding the will to just ask. "You're not…mad at me, too, are you?"

Yosuke left off buttoning his jacket and turned to his friend, his irritation melting. "What? Why would I ever be mad at you?"

Souji shrugged. "Y'know. For what happened. Last night."

Yosuke's shoulders slumped in resignation and he raised his arm out like an offering. "Hey. C'mere."

Souji obeyed and wandered into Yosuke's waiting arms. The embrace felt good.

"If anything you should be ticked off at me. I'm sorry. I acted like a jerk." Yosuke squeezed harder, burying his face in Souji's shoulder and breathing his scent in deep.

The sound of a door opening, followed by heavy footsteps, made Yosuke tense and quickly pull away. His father passed by the room, scratching his hip through his shoddy boxers, and paused to glance inside.

"Oh, Yosuke. Another one called off last night so I need you to come in right after school today."

"'K, Dad." Yosuke resumed working on his buttons.

The heavyset man gave Souji a once-over. "Troubles at home?"

Souji blinked at the brusque question. "Ah, well um, it's really nothing big. I won't be staying long."

Mr. Hanamura nodded slowly, his disapproval evident, and began to walk away, but not before casting another curious glance in his son's direction. Then the bathroom door shut and all was still again.

"Geez," Yosuke exhaled. "Sorry 'bout that. I should've warned you about what comes with boarding up in this house. Anyway, you can borrow some more of my clothes for now, but it's probably not a good idea to show up at school in them."

Souji nodded and accepted the clothes Yosuke handed to him. "I can stop by the house and get some things before we go."

Yosuke looked at him, a bit surprised. "You sure? What if Dojima-san's there?"

Shaking his head, Souji began to change. "He's probably already at work. It'll be fine."

"I'm coming along anyway."

* * *

Just as Souji had suspected, Dojima's vehicle wasn't in the carport as he and Yosuke approached the house. Testing the front door, Souji wasn't surprised to find it locked, but suspected that Nanako was still at home getting ready for school. He rang the doorbell and within seconds the door slid open.

"Big Bro!" she cried and seized him around the legs in a devastating hug. "Are you coming back today?" She released him and threw a wave at Yosuke, who smiled back at her.

Souji thought carefully. "Well, I'm not sure. What did your dad say about it?"

She frowned. "He said you were staying the night at Yosuke-nii's."

Souji wondered how his uncle had known that, or if he even knew at all. Was it just an assumption? Or did someone happen to see him and Yosuke together yesterday and report back? Strange.

"I promise I'll be back soon. I'm just here to pick up my uniform for now, though."

Nanako moved to let the boys enter, and Souji, feeling apprehensive about being in that house now that he wasn't welcome, hurried up the stairs toward his room.

"So how's school going, Nana-chan?" Yosuke asked pleasantly, hoping to distract her.

She shrugged. "We're learning about numbers and it's booooring."

Yosuke laughed. "I totally hear that. I was never good at math."

"Hey, why's Big Bro staying with you? Are he and Dad fighting?"

"No! I mean, I asked him to, is all. We get more studying done this way." Yosuke shuffled his weight between his feet when she sized up his explanation.

"Hmm. I wish I could come play with you guys. Dad's been acting kinda weird."

"Hey, you're more than welcome whenever you want. But unfortunately I've gotta work today. Maybe you can meet up with your Big Bro after school."

"Oh, but I already promised Hina I'd play with her today."

Souji reemerged donned in his Yasogami uniform, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, Big Bro, can we play at the park again soon?"

"Sure. Whenever you want. Just promise you won't tell your dad I was here today, okay?" He was surprised when she didn't object. "Okay then, have fun at school today."

"Bye, Nana-chan!" Yosuke called as he walked toward the door. "We'll see you soon!"

Souji gave Nanako another quick hug before following Yosuke out into the first rays of morning sunshine slinking through the rain clouds. She stood in the doorway, waving at them, her face relaxed and smiling in the pale light. Souji waved back and turned to go. Had he known that moment might very well have been the last time he would ever see her, he would have stayed longer.


	12. Chapter 12

Souji had never been very keen about school in general, and because he rarely found its demands a daunting task he had a tendency to excel without trying too hard. It was more or less due to a desire to keep his professors (and parents) off his back that he made it a point to do well in the first place. Not that he could complain about the positive attention he was rewarded with once test results were posted. That sort of mild affection was nice every now and then. But classes themselves were usually droll, and he often sat through them wishing he was back in bed.

Today, however, he focused his rapt attention on every detail of the class lectures, no matter how trite the topics or how off-subject their directions were wont to head. He hadn't realized until then just how easy it was to forget one's worries by simply paying attention. So when the final bells signaling the school day's end chimed out over the speakers, he wasn't quite ready to head back out into the world again.

Yosuke had been in a mad rush to get over to Junes once classes were over, afraid that the afternoon manager would be on his case for showing up late again. He apologized to Souji in a somewhat discreet manner, using the chaotic buzz around them as cover for the very real regret in his voice, and promised to call him on his first break before bolting out of the classroom. Chie and Yukiko had gone off somewhere together once classes were over as well. He wondered if Kou and Daisuke were around, though there weren't any club meetings today, and gathered up his things to try and track them down.

"Yo, Seta, what's with the bag? Goin' on a trip or something?" One of his classmates sitting near the windows called over and smiled.

Souji shrugged. "Maybe."

The boy's eyebrows lifted in curiosity, but he didn't reply any further. Souji turned to go, feeling several more pairs of eyes piercing his back as he went, but he ignored them.

Clusters of students wandered noisily down the hall, moving en masse toward the main stairway. A few lingered behind, laughing and sharing photos off their cells, but after glancing around Souji found that his friends were not among them. Though not exactly up for heading back to Yosuke's quite so early, he wasn't sure what else to do. Studying at the library would probably be the wisest course of action, but a few seconds of consideration in that direction left a sour taste in his mouth. Nor did reading at all sound appealing. He felt far too restless, and had a feeling that any efforts to concentrate would be pointless. Maybe a walk in the floodplain would do him some good.

He took the long way around, through the less familiar section of the residential area surrounding the school. The neighborhoods were quiet and shaded from the swarm of clouds above, and the temperature had taken a decided plunge from what it had been earlier that day. As he paused at a crosswalk to check for traffic, a sudden, uneasy feeling descended over him. He whipped his head over his shoulder and scanned the area, positive that someone was watching him. No, not just watching, _studying_ him. The sensation was disarmingly familiar, and a shiver ran up his spine. Where had he felt this before? After another cautious glance in the other direction, he gave up his search. No one was there.

His cell phone chirped then, and he pulled it from his back pocket. Yosuke had sent him a text message: _Got 2 work late. breaks 8. u free? swing by. dinners on me :)_

Souji smiled and punched out a quick reply: _Long as u pay. c u then ;)_

They had eaten together many times at Junes, so meeting up with Yosuke there again was hardly a novelty. But that didn't stop his excitement from welling up at the thought. Things between them were different now; he couldn't help feeling like it would be their first official date, but the thought itself was still weird. He wondered if Yosuke thought the same thing, and mused on the topic until he reached the river area.

It wasn't that the air in Inaba wasn't always fresh and clean, but the natural aesthetic of the floodplain seemed to magnify these qualities. The scent of oncoming rain drifted in every cool breeze, along with the young tendrils of autumn's late arrival. Though most of the trees had already turned to shades of gold and crimson, summer's dying breath still clung to much of the flora. Souji relished the stimulation as he walked toward the riverbank.

It might have been the weather's promise of an ensuing rainfall, but the area was oddly devoid of people out for an autumnal promenade. In fact, Souji had only seen one couple pass by so far, and they were so caught up in one another that they didn't seem to notice him at all. His mind wandered back to Yosuke, and the vigor that his walk had instilled in him deflated slightly. Would they ever be that comfortable with each other in a public setting? Enough to even dare doing something as banal as holding hands? In a town like Inaba, he doubted it was likely. Though Souji was positive that other gay or bi students grew up there, just seeing the destructively defensive way that Kanji had acted—one more than one occasion—made him think twice about whether most locals were very tolerant about that sort of thing. Inaba was too small, too conservative. In the end, those kids would probably never come out until they left for the city, if at all.

The makeshift stone dock soon came into view, and he was almost disappointed to see that the old man was not there with his fishing tools that day. Just a bit further upstream, however, a silhouette of someone in dark clothes caught his eye. Whoever it was stood facing away, staring at the water while smoking a cigarette. It wasn't someone he recognized from his vantage point, so Souji paid the figure little mind as he descended the steps toward the water's edge.

Discarding his duffel bag off to the side, he settled himself down on the stone slab and folded his legs beneath him. He relaxed by leaning his weight back on his arms, watching the rhythm of the river's movements. Everything was so calm, so peaceful, that he imagined he could curl up and take a nap right there. The gentle sound of lapping water provoked a light drowsiness to settle over his eyelids, but a sudden splash and dark fish tail flipping an arc from the water nearby jarred him back to lucidity. He repositioned himself to gaze into the water, trying to identify the species before it swam off too far. All he saw there were expanding ripples and his own shattered reflection between them. As the surface calmed, he realized something murky and dark hovered over his shoulder. Souji twisted around at the waist and looked up in alarm.

"Whoa, that would've been a killer catch! They really do come out on cloudy days, don't they?"

It was Adachi who stood over him, leaning over slightly and peering with great interest into the water.

"What are you doing here?" Souji hadn't heard anyone approach; it seemed Adachi had a rather disturbing knack for creeping up unnoticed. He was ruffled, and didn't really care if his voice came off as rude.

The man straightened and fixed his lopsided tie before flicking the smoking nub of his cigarette into the river. He appeared to notice Souji's irritation and an apologetic expression flitted over his face. "Oh, sorry. I just saw you sitting alone over here and thought I'd say hi."

"Mm." Souji turned away, in no real mood for company. He located a pebble near his foot and chucked it into the water.

"Actually…I was kinda hoping I'd see you today."

"Huh?" Souji shifted himself to better face Adachi, his confusion evident. "Why?"

Adachi looked nervous as he scratched at his head above his ear. "Well, you see, I need to talk to you about something. Or some_one_, I guess I should say."

Seeing the detective behave that way sparked Souji's curiosity. He had a feeling as to what Adachi's answer would be, but he asked anyway. "Who?"

"It's about Dojima-san. Uh, it's kinda hard to describe, but I figured you of all people would probably know."

Now Souji was concerned, but he didn't know exactly why. Something in his chest tightened at the sound of his uncle's name. He watched Adachi expectantly.

The latter crouched down, positioning himself at Souji's level, dark eyes locked on pale ones. "I would really appreciate it if you answered me honestly."

Souji's heart sped up; he knew that whatever would leave Adachi's lips next would not be pleasant.

"Thing is, he's been acting really strange all day."

Souji swallowed. "What do you mean?"

Adachi looked down at the edge of the slab. "He's been doing things that aren't like him at all. Making careless mistakes on reports, staring into space. I tried to ask him about it but he just yelled at me to mind my own business. It wasn't like his usual way of telling me to piss off though. He seemed depressed, or anxious, or _something_. I was getting sorta worried." He looked back at Souji, his concern evident. "Today, when I came up to his desk, he didn't even notice I was there. He was mumbling something about Junes. I couldn't quite catch everything, but I heard him say your name, too."

Souji's mouth fell open a bit, and his blood seemed to go cold in his veins. "What are you trying to say?"

"I know he was out sick recently, but I don't think that's the reason. Something's off. He's totally distracted. Like something really terrible happened recently. I was hoping you might know what that was."

"H-how should I know?" Souji hadn't meant that to come out as defensively as it did, but backpedaling would only make it worse. He was still concerned for his uncle, but at the same time he didn't want to submit to this interrogation. The direction toward which it was heading didn't sit well with him at all.

Adachi just looked at him for a long moment, as if attempting to sort something out in his head. He cast his attention to the side and caught a glimpse of Souji's bag before looking at the kid again. "Planning on going somewhere?"

"I'm staying at a friend's." Souji suddenly felt too vulnerable in that position and stood up.

"Oh." Adachi stood as well. "I see."

Souji walked toward his bag and slung it up over his shoulder. "I should be going." He began to do just that.

"Hey wait a sec!" Adachi jogged the short distance to meet up with him. "Aren't you concerned about Dojima-san at all? Isn't Nanako-chan worried, too?"

Souji continued to walk, not knowing what to say.

"Look, I'll level with you. Anyone with eyes can tell something's wrong. With both of you. It's okay. I might work under Dojima-san, but if there's anything you want to tell me, I'll keep it confidential. I just wanna know what's going on."

Souji stopped at the top of the stairs. "We had a fight. That's all."

"And you left home?"

"He told you that?"

"No. But it's pretty obvious after what you've told me. And the fact that you're lugging around a bag like that is a good indication."

"I'm sure we'll get it worked out soon, so thanks, but you don't need to worry about it anymore."

Adachi suddenly reached out and grabbed Souji's arm to keep him from walking away again. Souji looked down at the hand curled around his bicep in annoyance.

"No, Souji-kun. I do."

Souji tried to pull himself free, but was gripped tight. "Let go of my arm," he said softly. He had meant for it to come out more forceful than it had, but Adachi so looked upset that he was taken aback. He was almost surprised when the man complied, however.

"Sorry. But, I don't think you understand how serious this is." Adachi leaned in closer, talking quietly. "I found something on his desk after he left to buy cigarettes this afternoon. A letter."

"What's so strange about that?"

Adachi appeared dismayed, as if he couldn't fathom why Souji didn't understand what was left unsaid. "He's planning on resigning."

Now Adachi commanded his full attention. "What? Are you sure?"

The man nodded. "Positive. It wasn't finished, but I got the gist of it."

"Dammit." All Souji could think about was what had gone wrong in the last couple of days. He shouldn't have left yesterday morning. He should have forced Dojima to listen to what he had to say instead of allowing himself to be defeated. Now things were even more screwed up and it was mostly his fault. He had to set all of this right again. Maybe Adachi could actually be of some assistance to that end. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. That's why I need your help. But I don't feel quite right talking about it out here like this." He looked around as if to accentuate his worry.

"So, what then?"

Adachi checked his watch. "I've got another half hour before I need to be back. Would you mind coming over to my place for a few minutes so we can talk more about it?"

Souji agreed, and soon they were on their way through town toward Adachi's apartment.

* * *

Once they arrived and Adachi had ushered him inside, though, Souji became uneasy. It was a weak but persistent feeling, though he didn't know from where it stemmed. He waited to move further into the room until Adachi had done so first. Adachi smiled and gestured with his hand that Souji was welcome.

Souji wandered into the small living room and couldn't help looking around. It was clean, but relatively bare. In fact, the man hardly seemed to have much of anything at all to furnish or decorate the place. A shoddy sofa rested against the far wall—an obvious relic from someone else's den that had doubtlessly made it next to a dumpster before finding new life here. A mismatched chair sat adjacent; probably another rescued treasure. Other than that, only a chipped up coffee table and modestly sized television adorned the room. The walls were white and bare, and the smell of stale cigarette smoke clung to the air.

"Hey, have a seat," Adachi called from the kitchen. "Want something to drink?"

"Sure. Whatever's fine." Souji set his bag down on the floor out of the way and sat at one end of the ratty sofa. The cushion was already dented dramatically from its previous owner and he had to keep from slanting awkwardly.

After a moment Adachi returned, two cups of grapefruit juice in his hands. He handed one over and donned an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, it's all I've got at the moment."

"No, it's okay," Souji replied and took the proffered glass. "Thanks." He took a sip and winced at the taste spreading over his tongue. He hadn't had the stuff in years, but he didn't remember it being that bitter.

Adachi sat down in the chair and sipped from his own glass before setting it down on the table. "So, you really have no idea why Dojima-san's planning to leave? I gotta tell you, I'm having a hard time believing it's just because of a tiff."

Souji took another drink from his glass before deciding that the contents were likely expired and therefore practically undrinkable. He set it down next to Adachi's and shook his head. Though he was willing to help Adachi hatch a plan to keep Dojima at his job on the force, he wouldn't go so far as actually telling the man the real reason as to why all of this had happened. "Maybe it's the stress, you know? The killer's still at large, after all."

Adachi seemed to consider. "I don't know about that. Dojima-san's pretty diligent, even if he _does_ get stressed out a lot." He raised a hand and rubbed his lower lip thoughtfully. "No, I still think it has something to do with you."

"I already told you about that."

Adachi suddenly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers beneath his chin. "You're a _horrible_ liar, Souji-kun. Did you know that?"

This blunt statement, laced with acridity, made Souji dumb with shock.

"No, of course you didn't. Kids think they can do anything."

Souji was about to question him on this strange statement, but a sudden wave of dizziness swirled thickly in his head. He felt queasy. Leaning back into the sofa, he concentrated hard on simply clearing his mind, but it didn't seem to help. His eyelids grew heavy, and he watched half-lidded as Adachi stood up to bend over him. The man's face blurred and split into two in his muddled vision.

"Hey, what's the matter? You don't look so good."

Even Adachi's voice sounded strange, like it was coming from the other end of tunnel. Souji tried to stand, but a force pushed him back. He shook his head again, which turned out to be more of a groggy roll this time, and blinked slowly. "What…the hell…are you doing?" he slurred.

"Don't worry about that right now."

At this point Souji couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, but he was still vaguely aware of what was taking place around him. Though his body felt numb, he registered the sensation of being lifted. Bony arms braced him under his knees and against his spine. When he was let go, he sensed something soft replace the angles beneath him. His arms were raised over his head, and something cold and hard fell around his wrists. Four metallic snaps echoed in his ears.

"Why don't you just relax and take a little nap? I can tell you need it." Footsteps shuffled away along the carpeting. "Well then, see you later tonight."

A door clicked shut then, and that was the last thing Souji remembered before blacking out.


	13. Chapter 13

I'm so sorry for the long wait, although I do appreciate the amount of interest I've received about this story over time. I may as well just let you know this update is not a very pleasant one (for Souji at least). Thanks, all, for sticking with me here.

* * *

A peal of thunder exploded through the sky like a colossal fist, and Souji's eyes flew open wide in terror at the sound. He breathed fast and brokenly through his mouth, lingering somewhere between reality and the fading clutches of his recently fled nightmare, and listened as the rumbling diminished to give way to the hard sounds of rain and wind pelting the windows. Eyes catching an unfamiliar light fixture on the ceiling, he turned his head to look around. The lighting in the room was dim at best, as the curtains were drawn, but he could still see well enough to know that he was not in a place he knew. His head was still foggy, and he had a difficult time remembering the circumstances by which he would have ended up there. He recalled being at school. And then…that's right, he was supposed to meet Yosuke at Junes. What happened then? Had he slept the entire day?

Souji suddenly realized that his arms were stretched along the mattress over his head. Weird; he didn't usually sleep that way. Yet when he tried to pull them down and felt the unforgiving metal rings bite into his skin, refusing movement, he began to remember things much more clearly. Adachi had drugged him, cuffed him to this bed. He must have blacked out. The raw need to simply get away suddenly overwhelmed him, and he thrashed wildly against his restraints. It was a fruitless effort; he was secured fast to the bars of the headboard. Heart thudding, wrists bruised and aching, he finally stilled and tried to rationalize a way out of this situation. Glancing over, he caught sight of an alarm clock. Nine-twelve. He wondered if Yosuke had tried to call.

As soon as that thought entered his mind, he became aware of the lump of his cellphone still tucked within his back pocket, pressing uncomfortably against his rear. Lifting his hips, he tried to wriggle enough to make it fall out. When he felt a light thud beneath him, his relief momentarily surmounted his hysteria. Twisting his body to the side, he lifted his knee and attempted to push the thing further up. He managed to get it up near his chest, but from there he found he was unable to bend enough to get it closer to his hands. By that time, however, the sound of the front door opening and closing had stayed all his movements. The muted noises of a coat shaking furiously and the thuds of falling shoes perked up his ears, and he listened carefully. A set of keys being set down. Footsteps drawing nearer.

The cracked bedroom door squeaked open fully and Adachi stepped inside, the smell of rain drifting in with him. He flipped the wall switch and Souji flinched his head away, squinting hard in the sudden flood of light.

"Oh, you're already awake. Did you have a good sleep?"

Souji blinked the pain out of his eyes and shot a furious glare up at the man standing at the bed's edge. "What the hell do you think are you doing?!"

Adachi smiled, unperturbed by Souji's acid tone. "I _think_ I'm asking you how you slept."

"This isn't funny! Get me out of these things!" He rattled the handcuffs uselessly against the bars.

Adachi tilted his head, his face the perfect expression of innocent confusion. "You don't like it? Hmm. Guess I was wrong about that part."

Seeing the man's face like that, Souji couldn't quite tell whether he was being genuine or not. He attempted to entreat his captor instead. "Adachi-san, please…"

The detective kneeled down and rested his elbows on the mattress. He looked at Souji mildly, as if he was willing to hear the kid out.

"I don't know what you want from me, but there are people expecting me. They're gonna be worried when I don't show up." Souji eased his plea into a thinly disguised threat, hoping Adachi would get the picture. It would only be a matter of time before someone found him there. Or at least, he had to believe that.

Reaching out, Adachi took up Souji's neglected phone and flipped it open. After punching a few buttons in a humdrum manner, he paused to read something. A smile slowly spread across his face and he all but flung the thing screen-side into Souji's face.

Thinking Adachi was about to bash him with the phone, Souji jerked his head away. When he realized that hadn't been the intention, he saw that he had received another text from Yosuke while he was out cold. He squinted to make out the words: _Hey. startin to thnk ur standin me up :( call me k?_ He glanced back up at Adachi, who took that as his cue and pulled the phone away.

"That's sweet. He really _is_ worried about you." Adachi's tone dripped with saccharine. The phone beeped in his fingers as he sifted through the missed calls. "He even tried calling. Twice. Damn, that type of persistence is annoying." He turned the phone off and set it down next to the alarm clock.

Souji looked after it mournfully. "Why are you doing this?"

Adachi stood up and shrugged before he started to remove his suit jacket. "Oh, I dunno. I guess I just felt like it." He set the jacket on the dresser's top and started to work on his tie.

That nonchalant reply stirred up Souji's indignation once again. "'Felt like it?' Are you out of your mind? You work for the police!"

Prying the buttons of his shirt apart next, Adachi laughed quietly. "Yeah? So?" He paused with his task and turned back to Souji, his mouth open slightly as if he'd just realized something amusing. "Oh, I get it. You think I've got some sense of justice and civic duty ingrained in me because of my job. Is that it?" He laughed more heartily. "People actually believe that shit? Oh my _god_ that's hilarious!"

Souji actually began to fear Adachi then as he listened to that manic laughter. He had always thought of the detective as somewhat dim, and a decided klutz. Yet something was definitely off about the man, in more ways than one. Despite his growing dread, his brain began to piece together bits of that long-elusive puzzle. Adachi was a member of the force. That in itself entitled him to get around without arousing suspicion. People in town knew him. He had the power to work behind the scenes without being noticed. He was assigned to the murder cases. It all made sense now. Why hadn't he seen it before?

"It's you…" Souji whispered and stared at Adachi with disbelief. "All this time, it's been..."

Recovering from his laughter, Adachi yanked his shirt off the rest of the way and added it to the growing pile. "You're are a pretty smart kid. But actually I can't take _all_ the credit. That dipshit Namatame did most of the dirty work. I just sat back and watched."

Souji's eyes fell on the holster wrapped around Adachi's slim waist, the butt end of the pistol nestled within resting dangerously close to the man's hand. He could practically feel his pupils widen. "You're the one who threw Dojima-san into the TV, aren't you?"

Adachi didn't say anything. He only grinned and tapped his nose with a mocking air. That was all the confirmation Souji needed.

"And the others?"

"Hey, I had nothin' to do with you guys, like I said before. Just those Yamano and Konishi cunts. But they had it coming."

Souji's shock inflated upon hearing that straightforward and brutally heartless confession. "…Why?"

"Tch. Who cares? The world's a better place without a couple of cock teases like them."

"Bastard…" He shook his head in a vain effort to understand, never sparing Adachi his contemptuous glare.

"Aww. That's hurts, Souji-kun. And here I thought you were a nice guy." Adachi moved closer to the bed and carried out what Souji had been fearing. He removed the pistol from its holster and twirled it expertly around his trigger finger.

Souji had to keep him stalled. Had to say something, anything to keep Adachi talking and distracted. Maybe he could even weed out more information in the process. "But, why him? Why Dojima-san?"

A surprisingly hurt grimace crossed Adachi's features. He left off toying with his gun and rubbed its business end lazily along his jaw, averting his eyes. "I didn't really…want it to be that way. But those vultures…they were trying to get too close to him." His face contorted in absolute disgust. "You should've heard the way those Junes bitches talked about him. Gold-digging whores like that are only after the attention and fame from the murder cases. They're the ones that deserve to be thrown in there."

"…Then why would you take that risk?"

Narrowing his eyes, Adachi crawled onto the bed and slid his pistol up along the inside of Souji's leg as he went. "You talk too much. You're starting to sound just like them."

The hard steel scraping against his leg with only the thin material of his pants to separate them provoked every muscle in Souji's body to freeze up. Adachi was looking at him strangely, his eyes clouded over with some quality that Souji could not name but had an intensely sick feeling about.

Climbing up over Souji, Adachi eventually stopped and sat down on his lap, straddling him. "But maybe you _are_ just like them. You act enough like a whore when you're provoked, don't you?" He lifted the gun and pressed it firmly under Souji's chin.

The barrel was cold, and Adachi pushed it with enough force that Souji was forced to break eye contact as his head tilted back. He tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry.

"I gotta admit, I never expected things to turn out the way they did that night. I really couldn't believe it! But damn, that was probably the best thing I've seen on the Midnight Channel yet. The way Dojima-san fucked you senseless."

Those words sent electric horror down Souji's spine, and his eyes burned with the threat of tears.

Adachi had seen it. Everything.

Souji suddenly felt breathless, and nausea uncurled deep in the frail confines of his stomach. This couldn't be happening.

"Good old, standup, trustworthy, tightwad Dojima-san had it bad for his own nephew." Adachi paused to laugh. "Who'd have thought? But honestly, I'm starting to see why he did."

Souji tried to turn his head away from the steel poking his jaw, even to buck Adachi off of him, but he still couldn't bring his body to react.

"I knew I'd never be able to look at you the same way again after that. I mean damn, Souji, I don't really swing that way, but even _I_ have to admit it was hot. The way you took it like that. I wonder what else you can do."

The tone of this one-sided conversation had headed into territories Souji did not want to even imagine. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't be happening all over again. Not again. Not again…

"Please, don't…" Souji rasped, his mind a whirl with silent prayers.

"'Don't?' Don't what?" Adachi mocked.

"Just let me go."

"Sorry, but I can't do that. It was fun watching you and your friends run around like complete idiots these last few months, and I thank you for that, but it's getting kinda old. They don't really interest me anymore. But you…you're somethin' else completely."

The gun slid up along his cheek and brushed against his lips. Souji clamped his eyes shut and a wet stream slid from his eye. To his horror, Adachi's tongue slide up his cheekbone and flicked along his eyelashes, collecting the moisture before pulling away. Then, worse yet, the gun slipped between his lips with a demanding, yet careful force. It knocked against his teeth with a threatening clink.

"Open up."

Souji refused, remaining mortally still, and after a moment the gun drew away. Before he had time to relish any form of relief, a hard stinging slap fell against his cheek, knocking his head to the side. The blow had been forceful enough to split his lip at the corner.

"I wouldn't try to play the hero in this situation, if I were you. The real world's a lot different than _that_ place." Adachi grabbed Souji's lower face and twisted his head back straight. "Now, open your goddamn mouth."

As if Souji had a choice in the matter anymore. The hand on his face squeezed so hard against his teeth through his cheeks that his lips practically opened on their own accord. He had the terrible premonition that if he didn't separate his clamped teeth, Adachi would break them in his mouth. Whether or not that fantasy was grounded, he didn't want to find out. His jaw popped as he opened his mouth further, and Adachi's grip loosened.

"There. That's good."

The barrel pressed inside again, and the metallic, dirty taste of it made Souji wince. It brushed against the cut on his lip before pulling the skin there along with it as it delved in deeper. The pain it induced was sharp, but that was the least of his worries right then. He had no idea if the gun was loaded. Even if by accident, there was a very real possibility that Adachi could pull the trigger and splatter the back of his head all over the mattress. Or maybe that was his assailant's intention.

As the thing glided in and out of his mouth, dipping too close to the back of his throat at certain points, Souji concentrated hard on keeping his bile in check. It was difficult, and once or twice he began to gag. Adachi wouldn't relent, even then. He could hear the man's breath quicken. Souji began to tremble.

"Use your tongue."

The gun lifted to hover just at his lips, and Souji gingerly abided. As he hesitantly prodded the object, he came to the awful realization that Adachi was hard from all of this. He could feel it grinding gently against his own unresponsive lap, and Souji couldn't help imagining where this scenario was inevitably going to lead. His nausea intensified, and he knew right then that he wouldn't be able to hold it at bay any longer. Though terrified of the repercussions, he instinctively jerked his head away and convulsed violently before retching.

"Fuck…" Adachi ceased his movements and watched in repulsion as Souji vomited on the bed.

What had come up in the end wasn't all that much, but the effort had left him drained all the same. Souji breathed steadily, not moving his head, though the acrid stench pooled so close to his nose wasn't helping to ease the spasms of pain in his stomach.

Finally, with a heavy sigh, Adachi got off the bed and left the room. When he returned it was with a damp cloth.

Souji didn't bother to resist as that cool bit of relief mopped over his mouth and nose, though the force of its motions were rough. Once it lifted away, he rotated his head to face the other direction. He felt the pressure next to him as Adachi cleaned up the rest of the mess.

"Are you going to kill me?" Souji whispered in a deflated voice, staring at the wall.

The blotting paused, as if Adachi considered. "That all depends. I don't like to be disappointed. You can take that however you want." He finished his work and deposited the rag in the wastebasket next to the bedside table with a wet plop. "Let's just hope it's the right way," he said as he left the room.

Souji shut his eyes and tried desperately to think of a way out of this. No matter what he came up with, nothing seemed feasible. Though he had threatened that people had been expecting him, truthfully only Yosuke filled that role at this point. Dojima could have easily figured out that he had been at the house that day to pick up some things from his room. He had probably been seen with his bag by other town residents; if by no one else, then unquestionably by his classmates. If he just up and disappeared, wouldn't people simply think he had run away? That was the logical conclusion. After all that had happened, he had little doubt that his uncle would believe so.

He snorted bitterly. Yeah, until he turned up dead on the side of the road, or hanging upside down from the power lines. Because that's probably where he _would_ end up after this.

Souji thought about Yosuke again, focusing his attention unwaveringly on that image as he repeated a silent mantra in his head.

_Yosuke, help me, please. Help me..._


	14. Chapter 14

By the time Yosuke had escaped the clutches of Junes—having worked overtime yet again due to the so-called sick leave of another part-timer—it was already almost one in the morning. Though he and his father had originally planned on leaving at the same time, Yosuke had wound up departing alone. Too many unfilled orders as part of the upcoming influx of Christmas merchandise remained, and Yosuke's father would have to be there well into the early hours of the morning to take care of them.

He'll probably be in a shit mood tomorrow, Yosuke pondered bleakly as he traversed the dark, silent Inaba streets toward home. A dog barked at him viciously from a pool of shadows beyond a fenced yard as he passed, making him jump in alarm. Tossing an unseen glare at the angry mutt, Yosuke subconsciously hurried his step.

Without him fully realizing it, his hand fell into his pocket, where his cellphone had sat lifeless all night. He wondered if he should try Souji's line again or just wait until he got home. Naturally, the latter option would make him look far less the obsessive freak, considering he was only twenty minutes away. Though, the less rational part of him had been itching to try just one more time since he had punched out. The fact that Souji had ignored his calls all night provoked an unsettling juggle of emotions through his head the entire time he was at work. One minute he'd be second-guessing himself, feeling incensed, and the next minute he was so thoroughly worried he couldn't help imagining all kinds of unlikely scenarios to explain Souji's silence. One of which included Souji tangled sweaty and naked in someone else's arms. Yosuke had tried to shake that one just as soon as it had come.

He eventually uncurled his fingers from the phone and shoved his fist resolutely in his jacket pocket instead. He snorted at himself. Man, he really did think like a mom sometimes, didn't he? Or some jealous lover. How pathetic. No doubt that sort of behavior would repel Souji far away from him in the end. He should probably be more careful with his compulsions and, God willing, _attempt_ to act cool whenever possible. Yosuke's head was abuzz with one-sided motivational speeches as he continued his walk toward home.

The television was on when he walked inside; some late night variety show rerun flashing out manically against an otherwise darkened house.

"Mom?" he called out. When no reply greeted him, he sauntered into the living room and found her asleep on the recliner. She wore an expression of such deep unconsciousness that Yosuke didn't bother to rouse her. Instead, he retreated to the kitchen to pilfer a quick snack and headed upstairs.

The hallway was just as silent as the floor below, and he quickly discovered that his bedroom door was still open, dark and lifeless within. Now his worry seemed far more founded than he had imagined it earlier. Flicking on the wall switch, the same scene from that morning met his eyes. He cast a cursory look around and found no sign that Souji had been there at all. Yosuke's brow furrowed hard as he set his schoolbag down on the floor. His hunger quelled, he set his sandwich on the table as well and headed toward the guestroom.

After switching on the hall light, he pushed Teddie's door open a crack and peeked inside. A shock of perpetually curled blonde hair flipped up from between the blanket and pillow, and Yosuke peered closer. Nothing else remained amiss. As if Souji would actually be sharing a bed with Teddie, he mused with a touch of reproof.

Still, his concern only deepened. Finally picking his phone from his pocket, he tried Souji's number again. Again, the prerecorded message answered immediately. Yosuke had heard it so many times he could ramble every off intonation with precision if he had wanted. Pressing the power button with a sigh, he pushed Teddie's door open all the way and stepped inside.

"Hey, Ted. Hey," Yosuke called out softly as he jostled the kid's shoulder through the blanket.

Teddie jerked and turned to him, eyes bleary. "Uh? W-what time is it? Did I miss breakfast?"

"Ted, did you see Souji at all today?" His voice had come out a little more panicked than he had intended.

Blinking lazily, Teddie thought for a moment and yawned. "Nope. I haven't."

Yosuke just stared at him for a moment, trying to slow down and sort out the rapid blur of thoughts flying through his brain. "Okay," was all he managed to say before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Standing out in the hall, alternately squeezing and releasing his phone, Yosuke wondered where else Souji could have gone. It was always possible that Dojima had finally come to his senses and welcomed Souji back home. Though profoundly tempting, Yosuke forced his thumb from flicking his cell open and trying Dojima's number. Even if Souji was there, the very thought of what would ensue should the detective answer the phone at this hour did not sit well with Yosuke at all. He wouldn't put it past Dojima to find a way to rip him a new one over the phone alone. Yosuke shuddered and returned to his room.

He had no choice. He would just have to wait until morning.

Yosuke had somehow known, even before showing up to school that morning, that Souji wouldn't be there. Something in his mind had nagged him about it the entire way, fueled by the broken dreams he had suffered throughout the short period of time he'd actually slept before coming. He'd had nightmares about Souji before, calling out for help, being maimed, being _killed_. They would haunt him on occasion when they had a job to take care of inside the TV world. But none had ever been as vivid as the one he had had just before his alarm went off. The one that remained in his mind, even now, overshadowing the others like a black tower.

All through homeroom he lay slumped across his desk, ignoring the jests and questions aimed in his direction. He was tired, but his mind would not shut up for even an instant. All he could do was imagine what the hell might be going on. By the time first period rolled around, he had narrowed it down to two possibilities. One, he _had_ managed to fuck up their relationship already by acting like a complete horndog the other night. Or two, this all had something to do with Dojima. Though, by his own self-doubt he was willing to put his money on the former.

What had started as a dull ache in his gut turned into outright cramps before strangely vanishing altogether once school had ended. Paled remnants of his dream had been floating to the fore of his conscious all day, making it more difficult to concentrate than it already was.

As he stood to leave, he gave in and began to question what would make such a dream hover about his every action to such a degree. It wasn't as if someone awaited them in the TV world. Did they? Yosuke's fatigue seemed to melt at the thought. Maybe Souji had gone into the TV alone to train and couldn't get back out. What if he was stuck there, waiting for help?

No, he would have to rule out every other possibility first. The last thing he needed to do was get himself stuck in that place, running around like a headless chicken and calling out the name of a person who wasn't even there while getting attacked by Shadows. Still, he couldn't push the possibility from his head. If he was to ever sleep soundly again, he'd have to start searching for Souji right away.

Yosuke was on the phone with Teddie within seconds. "Ted! Listen, I need you to do me a favor. Would you go into the TV world and make sure nobody's there? It's important. Yeah. Call me as soon as you get back, okay?"

Throwing a silent thank-you to the heavens for not having to work that day, Yosuke ran from the school grounds toward the Dojima house.

Though he had seen the white SUV in the carport, Yosuke clung to some foolish hope that Dojima wouldn't actually be there. He wasn't sure how he'd be received, having not seen the man since that fateful night. Nerves aside, though, he simply had to find out if Souji was there or not. His cell was still turned off, he'd discovered for the second time that day. If Souji wasn't there, things would be far more complicated than he'd thought. It was only a matter of time before others would come to the realization that he was missing, but if he could help it, Yosuke would rather not have that happen. Time might very well be of the essence.

Dojima wasn't smiling when he answered the door and, upon seeing who was calling, his face seemed to go rigid as he stood in the threshold. He didn't say anything as he studied Yosuke, though his gaze fell to the ground after a moment. A flicker of pain crossed his features.

"Dojima-san," Yosuke said and inclined his head slightly, "is Souji here?"

"No. He's not." Dojima leaned against the doorjamb and ran a hand over the back of his neck, his composure decidedly uncomfortable. "I was under the impression that he was staying with you. A-about that…"

"You haven't seen him at all?"

Dojima looked up again, somewhat started. "What's this about?"

At that moment, Yosuke's cell rang, blistering the awkward atmosphere. Seeing it was Teddie, he answered it immediately.

"Did you go in already? And?" As he listened to the voice on the other end, he glanced back up at Dojima. "You're totally positive no one was there? Okay. Thanks." Yosuke clapped his phone shut and met with the man's confused stare. He wasn't sure if he should have felt relieved or not.

"Listen," Yosuke stated in a clinical tone, more to help control his own conflicted emotions than anything, "I think you should know that Souji's missing."

"What?" Dojima looked all at once worried and somewhat unconvinced.

"There's a lot you need to know. He tried to tell you, but you…" Yosuke trailed off, not sure if he should rebuke this man or not.

"Come inside. Now."

Dojima's firm tone startled him, but Yosuke moved in accordance. He was ushered to the table, where he sat down across from the detective. The look in Dojima's eyes was hard, but not unconcerned. Yosuke could see that the man hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in some time. Bluish crescents colored the hollows beneath his eyes, and it was obvious he hadn't bothered to shave in days. Yosuke watched as Dojima lit a cigarette, fidgeting his fingers beneath the table.

"The truth is, what I did was a mistake," Dojima began, his voice taking a decidedly softer tone. "I realized it yesterday, but…"

Yosuke merely nodded, biting his tongue.

Dojima shook his head, already exasperated. "I don't know what the hell's going on in this town anymore these days," he said after exhaling, "but I'm willing to bet you do. It has something to do with Souji, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. With all of us."

"Then tell me. Everything you know."

By the time Yosuke had finished, Dojima had gone through five cigarettes. Though everything he had said had been the truth, it felt strange to narrate the story to someone who knew nothing about what was going on. Still, once he had it all out, it felt as though something heavy had lifted from his shoulders. How long had he wanted to tell someone? He had no idea.

"So you're telling me that whoever's responsible for the murders and disappearances is the same person that pushed me into a TV?" Dojima finally said after the long pause that followed Yosuke's speech. "This is…very hard to believe you know."

"I know it sounds nuts, but it's the truth."

Dojima stared at the table, shaking his head. "And you think this same person has kidnapped Souji?"

The notion made Yosuke's heart seem to freeze in his chest. "I don't know. But Dojima-san, you have to think hard about that day. Anything you can remember might help us."

"It's all fuzzy." Dojima's face steeled as his eyes bored into the table's surface. "I remember it was an ordinary day. Nothing unusual. But then I started to feel sick in the afternoon. The next thing I knew I was…there." He blinked twice and moved a hand to rub at his eyebrows, covering his eyes.

Yosuke looked on in dismay. "There's nothing else? You don't remember seeing anyone suspicious?"

Dojima shook his head again. "No. We don't let civies into the office unescorted unless we know them."

"And you didn't leave the building?"

"I…don't remember."

Yosuke sighed. As usual, they weren't getting anywhere. His anger flared all over again as he thought of the faceless criminal managing to get away with all of this without being noticed. Even in a police station. Unless…

Yosuke sat up at the table, his eyes wide. "This might be a long shot, but is there anyone you work with that might have a grudge against you?"

Dojima lowered his hand, meeting Yosuke's frantic gaze. "No. Not that I know of."

Sitting back, Yosuke chewed at his lip in aggravation. Something told him that the answer rested just at his fingertips. If only he could catch a glimpse of it. Brush his fingers over it. Anything.

"It was after my coffee break."

Yosuke blinked himself from his reverie. "What?"

Dojima's face was crunched in concentration. "When I started to feel sick. My head got all woozy before everything just turned into a blur."

"You were alone?"

"Some of the other guys were there. In the break room. But I'm pretty sure they cleared out before long."

Something dawned on Yosuke despite his frustration. "Is there a TV? In the station's break room?"

Dojima had clearly caught Yosuke's line of thought. He leaned back as well and folded his arms, perturbed. "Yeah. There is."

Yosuke stood so fast his chair nearly fell over. He leaned his weight on his hands against the table. His eyes were wild. "Please, Dojima-san. You have to remember who they were."

"I can't. I just remember I wasn't alone." Dojima reached for another cigarette.

Yosuke reflexively shot out a hand and smothered the cigarette pack with it before Dojima could get to it. The man looked up at him in irritation.

Yosuke wouldn't be intimidated. Not now. His voice came out so deadly calm he himself was surprised by it. "Souji's life might depend on this, sir. So please, think _harder_."

"I told you," Dojima said in a tone matching Yosuke's, "that's all I remember." He swatted Yosuke's hand away and snatched the cigarettes up, standing.

Yosuke was at a loss. "Aren't you worried about him?"

"I'm just as concerned as you are, but I need more time. We're not gonna make any headway at this rate. My head's pounding as it is." Realizing his pack was empty, he crushed it and threw it down on the table. "Fuck!" He grimaced and raised a hand to his temple.

Spotting a pen near the crumpled pack, Yosuke snatched it up and scratched his cell number on the corner of a nearby magazine's cover. Tearing it off, he handed it to Dojima.

"Anything," he said as Dojima took it. His excitement dashed, he turned and moved toward the door.

"Hey, kid…Hanamura."

Yosuke stopped and looked back.

Dojima had the paper gripped in his fist. "Don't worry; we _will_ find him."


	15. Chapter 15

Souji had fallen asleep at some point during the night, lingering on the edge of terror that Adachi would return to the bedroom and do something horrible to him, though it never wound up happening. He'd had another nightmare to fill that role instead, with Adachi forcing his pistol up between his legs and wrenching it painfully before pulling the trigger, a blast of something not quite pain but searing hot all the same filling him, all while that deceptive smile hugged the man's lips. Stifling the urge to scream, he'd awakened shaking in a cold sheen of sweat. Realizing his body was still in one piece, he heaved a sigh and sought the bedside clock to discover that it was just past six a.m.

His arms ached terribly from their elevated position, and he wanted nothing more than to rotate onto his side, but he was helpless to ease his discomfort. What was worse, his bladder had been straining for the last few hours, by the feel of it. He briefly wondered if he should summon Adachi to at least let him use the toilet. Or would he have to resign himself and just do it here? No, he could never willingly do such a thing. But if he didn't go soon he knew it would damage him, or start to leak out unbidden. The last thing he needed was even more humiliation stacked on top of what he had already suffered through. Groaning, he jostled the handcuffs against the bars as loudly as he could.

"Hey!" he called out, refusing to address his captor by name. "…HEY!"

After a moment, Adachi answered his call. He stumbled into the room, still shirtless, the top button of his rumpled slacks undone, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. When he dropped his hand and looked up, illuminated from behind by the light of the hallway, his face betrayed his obvious irritation.

"Geez. What is it?"

"I need to use the bathroom." Souji's voice was blunt, but cutting.

Adachi just studied him as if judging whether the declaration was true or not. Finally, he sighed moved to extract the cuff keys from the bed table drawer.

"Fine. But let's make it quick."

As Adachi worked the key into the first band's lock, Souji wondered if he could make a break for it at the right moment. His wrist fell from the binding and he drew it down, flexing his sore joints.

"Ah ahh." Adachi corrected him in an almost lilting voice and pulled his arm back up over his head. After undoing the second lock, he pushed Souji into a sitting position, arms behind his back, and clipped the open cuff over Souji's free wrist.

"What the hell?" Souji huffed.

"Like I'd really be dumb enough to let you free," Adachi explained in a humorless tone and pulled Souji up off the bed by his shirt. "Move it." He nudged Souji forward to the doorway and followed close behind.

The bathroom stood directly across from the bedroom in the short hallway. Adachi snapped on the light when they stepped inside and Souji stopped to look around. He glanced at the sink, the bathtub half framed by a cheap and thin plastic curtain, the general emptiness of the small, clinically white room. Though its constrictive nature didn't appear, or even necessarily smell, dirty, a humid, dank atmosphere seemed to hang in the air. Only a small, lint-caked ventilation fan led to the outside; it wheezed tiredly from its position on the light above.

Adachi was still behind him, practically breathing down his neck. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he finally bit.

"I can't do this with my arms behind my back."

"Oh? No shit?" Adachi mocked him and guided him by the shoulders to stand before the bowl. Shifting himself even closer, he reached around Souji's waist and roughly began to unfasten the kid's pants.

"Whoa-wait! You can't be serious!" Souji balked and tried to jerk away.

"Cool it," Adachi warned with an emphasized jerk to the fly. "It's either this or you can piss yourself."

Adachi's hand was warm on his skin when it touched him, pulling him free. Though there was nothing blatantly perverse about the way he held Souji's cock, he couldn't help tensing in some dreadful anticipation. Souji wasn't sure he even _could_ go now, despite the heavy pressure overwhelming his lower body.

Adachi laughed dryly through his nose behind him, the bursts of air tickling his neck. "Something the matter?"

"I can't…"

"Oh, come on now, Souji. You've been through far worse than this. You've put your life on the line to save your friends over and over, and you're too scared to take a piss in front of another guy? Man, you need to work on your priorities."

Souji shut his eyes, forcing his imagination to stifle the sensation of someone else's hand on him, and relaxed his bladder. It was a good half-minute before he was empty, but it had felt like an excruciating eternity. Adachi hadn't tried anything to molest him, even after he was done. For that he was thankful, but remained somewhere between deflated and furious from the embarrassment of this entire scenario.

Flushing the toilet with his foot, Adachi pushed Souji back out the door toward the bedroom again. Souji eyed the bed with agitation.

"Please, don't lock me up there again," he mumbled. It had been bad enough for the hours he had already spent there; he didn't think he could handle it once more. He wasn't tired in the least, either. All the same, last night Souji had discovered that he wouldn't be kept here merely to decorate the man's bed for long. Adachi—the one behind all the crimes that had Souji sleepless nearly every night since their beginning—clearly had other, unspeakable plans for him. Only, Souji had no idea when they would be inflicted upon him. From what Adachi had said, he had a very good indication of what they would be, however. He felt anxious, tensed up to knots, as if he watched a fist hovering inches before his face and could do nothing but wait for it to plow forward at any given moment. The opportunity to memorize every crack in Adachi's bedroom ceiling would be like gracious blessing in contrast.

Adachi shoved him without warning again, hard enough that Souji stumbled and fell against the mattress edge with his knees knocking against the metal rails. Before Souji could recover, the man was right there to haul him up onto the bed, crawling over him with the other set of cuffs.

"You know, you really do whine too much. It's nice enough of me to give up my bed, and here you are complaining about it. Talk about ungrateful." Adachi began his work on Souji's wrists again.

"Is this really what you want?" Souji pleaded, dismayed to hear the crack in his voice, but too weak to put up a real fight. "They're going to find you out."

"Huh. I wonder about that," Adachi stated blandly as he snapped the last ring into place. "If that day ever comes, it's not like they'll have any proof. I mean, really. Pushing people into TVs? Not even a kid would believe that."

"He'll believe it," Souji said quietly, looking into Adachi's eyes and trying to hold his ground for what it was worth. "You know he will."

Adachi sat beside him on the bed, looking down into Souji's face with an unreadable expression. "Who? Dojima?" He paused before laughing thinly, though he wasn't smiling. "Yeah, he might." Toying with the bottom hem of Souji's wrinkled school shirt, he silently pondered. "But I doubt he'll remember much about that day."

At the sensation of Adachi's fingers so close to his skin, separated only by that thin layer of material, he tensed. "What did you do?" Though in a mind to pull his body away from Adachi's hand, he lay passive instead for fear of inciting the man.

Adachi's fingers worked over the bottommost button idly, pushing the plastic through the slot before trailing toward the next. "Oh, nothing really. Just slipped him a little something." The button fell open, revealing a pale triangle of Souji's abdomen. "Simple, but effective." He chuckled shortly. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to get that shit."

"The drugs?"

Adachi ran his finger over that bit of exposed skin, making Souji tighten up even more. "A little Ketamine goes a long way." He smirked, the light filtering in weakly from the hallway catching around the grooves of face and transforming it into a mask of noxious amusement. "I thought it was more of a city thing, but we confiscate that kind of stuff all the time. Guess there's not a whole hell of a lot else for the kids to do around here, is there?"

Eyeing Souji's tormented expression, Adachi tempered his face with mild concern. "Oh? You didn't know about that?" A smile slowly stretched his lips. "I can't help wondering how many of your school chums have tried it. Whether or not they realized it."

Whether it was the words themselves rolling off Adachi's tongue or the way in which they were spoken, Souji couldn't keep the perpetual chill from penetrating his bones. "What are you saying?"

"Me? I'm not saying anything." Adachi tapped Souji twice on the head with his forefinger. "You're reading too much into this. What, you thought I was implying that I'm some kind of shady drug lord?" He laughed genuinely for a short time before breathing in deep and wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye. "Nah. Let's just say I have a chemical interest. They suit me better toward my own ends."

His voice had taken on a lower quality, almost a whisper, filled with dark promises. When his fingers returned to his abdomen, sliding slowly upward, Souji wanted desperately to curl into a ball, to vanish. All he could do was turn his head away. Those deliberately deft touches tapered off, drawing closer to his nipple, but a soft series of beeps suddenly issued in from the living room, making Adachi's hand pause before lifting away. Souji didn't look up when it did.

Heaving a deep sigh, Adachi glanced at the clock. "Shit. Almost time for work." He stood and retrieved a fresh dress shirt from a narrow closet before slinging it on over his lanky torso. The tie and suit jacket lying crumpled on the dresser followed. As he threaded the red strip into a knot at his neck, he blinked tiredly at Souji.

"If you're interested, I suppose we can talk more about it tonight. Maybe I'll even give you another demonstration."

With that he straightened the tie against his chest and began to leave the room, but stopped short with both hands fanned out over the doorframe. Pushing himself back, he turned and stooped to rummage through the bed stand's bottommost drawer. When he stood, a roll of duct tape came with him.

"Almost forgot." He pulled a short length of the tape away and tore it neatly with his teeth. Humming to himself, he pressed the strip down over Souji's lips.

Souji knew what was about to happen when he saw the tape, and for the first time—a realization that surprised him—he wondered what kinds of neighbors Adachi had. If he had been in his right mind yesterday, screaming bloody murder, would someone have come to rescue him? Would he have been free of this hell with Adachi behind bars by this time? Well, it didn't matter anymore. Any chance he had was probably long gone.

The tape was tacky and uncomfortable against his dry lips, but he didn't bother to struggle. Instead, he glared at Adachi with as much burning hatred as he could muster.

Adachi deposited the roll back into the drawer again and stopped humming in time with his growing smile. He bent at the waist and planted a kiss over Souji's taped mouth.

"Don't wait up for me."

He left the bedroom then, a light chuckle on his lips, and closed the door for good measure. Souji listened to the sound of water coming from across the hall, the rattle of a cupboard, the closing of the front door. Then, all was still again.

"Listen," Yosuke practically growled as he slapped his hand against the police station's reception desk. "All I'm asking is to know who was working that day."

The man on the other side of the heavy desk remained unfazed by Yosuke's mounting frustration. He leaned forward slightly, his thick mustache conforming to the grimace that had taken over his lips beneath. "And I already told you. We don't give out information without justifiable cause. Now, if there's some sort of _problem_, maybe _you_ should start talking."

Yosuke attempted to glare the man down, but his efforts proved useless. He was still tired, very tired, having not slept at all the night before. Instead he had paced his room, organized his CDs, even tried to do his homework in an attempt to distract and tire himself out, but all he could think about was Souji. The idea to come here first thing in the morning before school started had seemed like a good plan at the time, but now he wondered just what he could have feasibly hoped to accomplish. There was no reasoning with this man, not without getting into specifics he was unwilling to divulge. After all, it wasn't just Souji he had to look out for, but the entire investigation crew. He didn't want to, no, he just _couldn't_ get them involved with this. Yosuke's head began to throb dully at the temples.

"I don't see how telling me who was on duty that day is a big deal. Aren't you public servants?" He was pulling at straws now, and he knew it.

"Look, kid, either tell me straight out why you're here asking this, or get out and get your ass to school already."

"What's going on here?"

The sudden voice at Yosuke's side caught his attention and he looked over to see Adachi standing there, two steaming cups of coffee in his hands. The detective's eyebrows were raised in surprise.

Yosuke straightened and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Nothing. I was just leaving."

He had just made it to the reinforced glass doors when Adachi's voice stopped him: "Hey, hold up!"

Turning back, Yosuke saw Adachi gesture meaningfully with his head to follow him to the back. Flicking a glance at the reception clerk, who eyed the both of them with annoyance, he found himself falling into step behind the lanky detective.

Adachi stopped in front of a steel door and turned to Yosuke, who regarded him in confusion.

"Wait here a second," Adachi said and hurried away toward the end of the hall before disappearing behind a corner. He returned hardly a moment later, sans one of the coffee cups. A lopsided grin lay plastered over his face and he rubbed his neck with his free hand. "Sorry. You don't wanna see Dojima-san first thing in the morning if I don't have that ready for him."

"Is he here?" Yosuke asked.

"No, not yet." Adachi checked his watch. "Any minute now, though." He tested the heavy door's knob and, finding it unlocked, pushed it open, giving Yosuke a nod to enter. "Something's up, isn't it? Don't worry, we can talk privately in here."

Yosuke looked at the dark beyond the door and saw from the outlines of the sparse objects that it was an interrogation room. Only a desk, a few chairs, and a television sitting in the corner seemed to make up the otherwise claustrophobic space. He looked back to Adachi, perturbed, though he wasn't sure why. "I…actually I need to get going. I shouldn't be late for class."

For a moment Adachi looked decidedly disappointed, but the emotion dissolved away. "Hey, no prob." He smiled and fumbled in his suit pocket. Pulling out a relatively plain business card, he handed it over to Yosuke. "I know you must've wanted to talk to Dojima-san for some reason, but listen, if you need to talk to someone and no one's around, don't hesitate to get in touch. I might not look it, but I'm actually a pretty good listener."

Yosuke took the card and pocketed it. "Uh, thanks." He turned and began the trek back toward the station's entrance.

"I'm always willing to help," Adachi called after him. "Don't forget that."

Fighting the urge to stop and go back, to just ask Adachi straight out if he knew anything, Yosuke kept walking. He knew it was a mistake to come here, to try to weed anything useful from the cops. After all, none of them could be trusted. But what other choice did he have?

Yosuke left the station without a second glance; he didn't see Adachi's intent stare directed at his retreating back as the crisp morning air met his flushed skin.

Souji hadn't slept, hadn't done anything whatsoever during the hours that Adachi wasn't there. With his arms bound and his mouth taped shut, there wasn't much he could do anyway except think. He wondered what life would be like once he managed to escape—_if_ he would ever escape—and about what Nanako and his uncle were doing, or if they even knew that something was amiss. That inevitably led his mind down the road paved by Adachi's elaborate betrayal. The man responsible for everything had been working at Dojima's side all this time and getting away with it. How many times had he been sitting right next to him at Dojima's table over dinner, never even suspecting? What had really been going through Adachi's head back then?

It was too much to consider. The more he thought about it, the sicker he became.

Not least of all, he thought about Yosuke. They might have technically been dating, and though their time together was too depressingly short to really find out, Souji wondered whether they would have ever become serious together if given the chance. Developing relationships with friends was easy, but anything more intimate tended to elude him. He had never been involved too seriously with anyone before; any relationships he had experienced in the past were rather short-lived, and seemed more like formalities than anything genuine. They had their moments, naturally, but over time the girls on the end of his arm wound up revealing a state of mind similar to his own in one way or another. And, in the end, most of them had pursued him for his looks. Things became cumbersome. Girls, too, became less and less interesting in that sense as he grew up. It was a rarity when any one of them expressed an interest in his mind outside the realm of the test scoreboards.

But Yosuke was a completely different world altogether. The two of them just _clicked_ so well it was almost scary. Souji had mused about the possibility of being with a guy a few times before, but the idea had never seemed to hold any more potential than being just that. An idea. Honestly, when Yosuke came into the picture he didn't feel anything more than that same basic level of friendship he had for every one of his Inaba acquaintances. Somewhere along the way, though he wasn't sure exactly when, that all began to change. They might well have ended up together if things had played out differently. If Dojima hadn't been thrown into the TV. Why did it have to take such awful circumstances for he and Yosuke to come together? Still, their bond was all the tighter and unbreakable due to that horrific incident.

The memory of that night sparked the same old cold despair, despite his best efforts to do anything but think about it. Souji closed his eyes, trying to relieve the steady burning behind them, when the sound of Adachi's return startled him back to the present—and more pressing—matters with which he had to cope.

Adachi was in the bedroom soon after the front door announced his presence, and Souji could tell immediately that he was upset over something. Adachi had thrown the bedroom door open with nothing short of violence, letting it slam against the wall without so much as blinking at the crashing noise. The first thing that crossed Souji's mind was that they had somehow found Adachi out. Even with this bit of hope, he could not relax. Not with the way Adachi's eyes looked at him right then.

"Your little fuck-buddy is even more annoying than I thought." Adachi's voice was strangely controlled, which made it all the more frightening. He began to pace about the room.

Souji wanted to ask what the hell he was talking about, knowing that it was Yosuke to whom he referred, but could do little more than emit pathetic and muffled sounds from behind the duct tape while keeping his eyes trained on Adachi's unpredictable movements.

"Already asking questions. I could kill him, you know. Easily. I doubt he'd be missed around here."

And outraged cry tumbled from Souji's panicked throat, and Adachi stopped to regard him.

"The whole goddamn town has had a grudge against that family from day one. Tch. They'd be grateful. Probably already want him dead as it is."

Heart thumping in his chest, Souji jerked defiantly on the cuffs and directed as much venom as he could at Adachi with his eyes. But Adachi wasn't moved by his display.

"I wasn't gonna do anything to your friends. Not really. But now…maybe I should just kill the lot of 'em." Adachi lifted a hand to his face and rubbed his fingers over his mouth in contemplation. "Damn it." After a moment he seemed to calm down; lowering his hand, he studied Souji with mute resignation. "I suppose this shortens our time together, doesn't it?"

Staring at Adachi, Souji fought to unravel the meaning in those words. He doubted the question was genuinely aimed at him, but that didn't slow the fear from rearing out of the depths of his mind. So, he was going to die. Somehow, he knew this as an unavoidable certainty now. Even worse, his friends were now in unsuspecting mortal peril, and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it. He had never felt so powerless in his life.

Adachi worked his jacket off, letting it drop to the floor without care, and began to unfasten his belt, all while keeping his gaze trained on Souji. "Let's take a rain check on our previous plans." He leaned over the bed, over Souji, and unhesitatingly pulled Souji's pants fastenings apart. His motions were swift and disturbingly graceful when he hooked his long fingers into the waist of those pants and underwear together, stripping Souji from the waist down. "I was looking forward to hearing you moan, but right now I really don't care if you enjoy this or not."

Everything Adachi left unsaid crystallized into full understanding in that moment, and Souji buckled, pulling his legs up and curling into himself as much as he could in that awkward position. The same nausea he felt last night returned; its grim, cold fingers prodding at his stomach like a mortician preparing to slice into a cadaver.

Adachi climbed onto the bed, towering over Souji on his knees alone, and started working his own slacks open. Once the button and zipper lay gaping open, revealing to Souji that Adachi was already somehow hard even beneath his clothes, the man smirked down at Souji's pathetic attempt to get away. Leaning down, Adachi placed his hands on either side of Souji's head and hovered over him, watching—almost consuming—Souji's primal fear. Wordlessly, and without even looking away to see what he was doing, Adachi reached toward the bed stand and extracted something from a drawer.

Souji watched as the man leaned back into a crouch, a blue plastic bottle now in Adachi's hand. And then Adachi's erection was free, the bottle opened and spilling clear liquid out into his hand. Once Adachi began to work the substance over his straining member, Souji couldn't look any longer. All of this seemed far too well practiced. How many times had Adachi done this? Did he bring women home, drug them, and chain them to his bed? Souji couldn't help but think with a vague sense of certainty that he was not the first one to be bound in fear under this man.

He heard the bottle's lid snap shut, the thud of it hitting the floor, and then Adachi's fingers were clasped over his ankles, pulling them down and apart with a force he couldn't possibly fight.

"Stop! Stop…" Souji gasped, but the tape made his plea unintelligible.

"Don't throw up this time," Adachi advised bitterly as he hauled Souji's legs around his sides, shifting himself closer. "You might just choke." With a leaden chuckle, Adachi positioned himself between Souji's legs and began to push himself in.

Though he knew very well what to expect at that moment, the tangible, insistent warmth pressed against his ass made the reality of it all come crashing down. Souji instinctively revolted. He pulled his knees back and plowed his feet with all his strength into Adachi's chest. But his action wasn't fast enough, or else Adachi foresaw what he was about to do. The man caught his ankles in a bruising grip before he could be sent falling back off the bed. Instead he used Souji's legs as leverage and pulled himself back over the kid with a snarl.

Adachi's fist cut the air and drove down into the side of Souji's face with a sickening thud, whipping Souji's head to the side. "Didn't I already warn you about playing the fucking hero?"

The pain pulsing over his cheekbone and the faint ringing in his left ear in the wake of the attack did little to distract him from the burning pressure that quickly resumed between his legs. Souji couldn't do anything at this point to stop it; his own fear and revulsion made his muscles taut as coils, and that only made the situation worse. He could feel every inch overcoming his body's futile resistance as Adachi began to steadily fuck him, deeper with each stroke.

It hurt. Indescribably so. Even with the lube it was almost as bad as it had been that night. But there would be no pleasure whatsoever this time. Souji wasn't sure whether or not to feel grateful for that. He couldn't help comparing this to what had happened in the TV world, and that unintentional line of thought proved to be far more destructive than he could have imagined. His entire body adopted a certain ache that he couldn't quite describe, though it rested somewhere between blistering and dull, relentless throbbing. Before he knew it, a blank, white curtain of static began to unfurl over his mind. Souji took refuge in that proffered haze immediately. Was it his Personae trying to assist him? Or something deeper, something unconscious? Whatever it was, its neutral embrace—tucking him protectively away from reality—was welcomed.

Adachi must have seen it in the faded, hollow reflection that overtook Souji's eyes as they stared at the ceiling, must have felt it in the way Souji's body slackened under his thrusts. Seizing Souji's jaw, Adachi forced his head to tilt downward and face him. He shook it roughly until the light returned to Souji's bleary eyes. "No. You're not going _anywhere_ tonight."


End file.
